Secret Worlds
by GleekOut91
Summary: Quinn Fabray is the richest and most powerful woman in the world. A highly successful, influential woman with a womanizing streak a mile wide, or so people think. What they don't know, is that the Quinn Fabray they think they know, isn't really Quinn Fabray at all. Quinn's personal life couldn't be more different from the public figure that practically owns New York City. G!P Quinn
1. Chapter 1

_**Welcome to my fic, I hope you all give it a chance and enjoy this little world I've created for Quinn and Rachel. **_

_**Fair warning, this story features G!P Quinn, and some chapters will be rated M for furture reference. **_

_**This opening chapter will probably leave you with a lot of questions but I hope it brings you back for more. I hope you like it and please, leave a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts.**_

What would you do if you were the richest woman in the world? What would you do if you had more power than a Supreme Court judge and the ability to influence an entire city? What would you do if you had the looks, charm and charisma to snap up any woman you so desired? Seven billion people in the world and most of them would probably give similar answers as to what they would do, but for Quinn Fabray the answer wasn't so simple.

You see, Quinn had all those things. She had more money than she would care to admit, more power than she could ever want or need, intelligence that could intimidate even the most successful businessmen and enough charm and good looks to attract any woman she could want. But the reality which Quinn lived in, was nothing more than a game to her. She took her position as the head of Fabray Enterprises very seriously, but everything outside of that, how she was viewed and portrayed by the people around her and the press was a complete joke, a façade if you will.

The Quinn Fabray they knew, the one they wrote about, the one they mingled with at high society soirees, that was who they expected her to be. A charismatic woman with incredible wit, a flirtatious streak a mile wide, a penchant for the finer things in life, and a roving eye that meant she never appeared with the same woman on her arm twice in a row. She was, for all intents and purposes, the female equivalent of Bruce Wayne. And just like Bruce Wayne, there were parts of her life that were off limits to anyone outside of her small inner circle. So she lived up to the reputation she was known for, to keep prying eyes and ears out of her personal life.

The thing about Quinn was, she never really cared for all the materialistic things in her life. Her love of the high society lifestyle she was accustomed to was simply a cover up. Underneath it all, underneath the designer clothes, the flash cars, the pretty women who appeared on her arm when she stepped out at public events, Quinn was a woman who much preferred the simpler things in life. She didn't need all the material things she had, she didn't enjoy the lifestyle she was known for by the public and she didn't want the power she had.

Which probably makes you wonder, well, why does she bother then? Why would someone who has enough money that her great, great, great, great, grandkids could afford to live a lifetime without working, put herself through that when she could comfortably live in complete obscurity? The reason, because Quinn realised very early on that with power and wealth, came responsibility. A responsibility to sustain a society that was good to its people, a responsibility to help build a society that could provide a bright future for the generations to come, a responsibility to make sure the people of New York were looked after.

And she couldn't do that as an unknown because, as human beings, we often fear the unknown. The people needed a face that they could build their hopes on and that's why Quinn established this public image. Yes at times her perceived "womanising" ways and reluctance to settle down often put her at odds with people, but for the most part, they respected her as a business woman, as an innovator, and were often moved by her charitable ways. For Quinn the public image was created for the purpose of allowing the people to consume and invest in, much like with celebrities. They could have whatever they wanted from 'public Quinn', but private Quinn, that was hers and hers alone.

So, there Quinn stood, in her typical business power suit, wearing a pair of 8 inch Louboutin heels that gave her a dominating presence, mingling with her fellow associates, business partners and others within the industry, her finger circling the top of her glass of wine as she tried desperately to listen to whatever it was the man, whose name she couldn't, remember was talking about, but her mind was clearly elsewhere. She literally caught the tail end of the conversation as she felt a slender arm loop through hers and she turned to find her date for the night smiling at her with a seductive grin.

"…..and this merger could be the best thing to happen to both companies," the man said and all Quinn could do was tip her head at him, when somebody mentioned the man's name she kicked herself for forgetting it. _Mike Ross, Mike Ross, you should know this Fabray he runs Ross's Renewable Energies, step up your game, _she thought to herself. "Well Mike hopefully you're right. It's time this city really started investing in the renewable energies field and hopefully Fabray Enterprises can help create those steps that will lead people toward that goal," Quinn stated and everyone standing around in the group nodded their approval.

"Quinn, I'm tired and it's getting late, maybe we should make leave," the Russian model on the blondes arm suggested, her voice thick with desire. She didn't want to go home per say, she wanted to take Quinn home so she could have her way with her. A few years ago, Quinn's not so little friend downstairs would have twitched in anticipation and the blonde would have gladly taken the model home and fucked her into oblivion before ditching her the next day. But times had changed. Not that anyone standing around them would know that. In fact they were expecting just that to happen.

"If you'll excuse me ladies and gentlemen, it's time for me to take this dashing young lady home," Quinn said as she gingerly placed her hand on the small of the models back, making a show of being a complete gentlewoman as she graciously and mannerly excused herself from the conversation and smiled and shook hands with people as she made her way out. At the door, two servers were standing there waiting for them, helping them into their coats before the doorman led them to Quinn's town car and opened the door for them to climb inside.

"That was fun," the model smirked as she leaned into Quinn's side, getting up in her personal space and running her hand up the blondes' thigh, getting higher and higher. Quinn raised her eyebrow and glanced down at her companion, her lips quirking up at the corner into a half grin before shaking her head and looking up at her driver. "David, could you take us to Ms. Bazhenov's home please," Quinn said and the driver nodded his head. "Yes Ms. Fabray," he replied and pulled out into the heavy traffic.

On the drive through the city, Quinn was engrossed in her cell phone, the model completely unimpressed at being ignored, but too caught up in the idea of getting Quinn into bed to voice her frustration. When the car arrived outside the model's apartment building she turned to the blonde and offered her hand to Quinn as David opened the door for her to climb out. Quinn knew what the model was doing, offering her hand, and she had to chuckle to herself at the fact the Russian really believed she was going to go inside with her. Taking a hold of the delicate hand, she pressed a courteous kiss to it which left the model more than a little confused.

"Thank you for joining me tonight Erika but this is where we part. I hope you had a wonderful night," Quinn grinned and Erika looked more than a little miffed. "You are serious?" she asked in her grammatically incorrect English and Quinn tipped her in a yes manner. Erika huffed and shook her head as she picked up her clutch and then glanced back at Quinn with a scowl, "This, the last time you use me Fabray," she growled before climbing out of the car and slamming the door in a huff. David watched in amusement as the model made her way inside and out of sight before he climbed back into the car.

"Take me home David," Quinn sighed as she rested her head back against the headrest and slouched down in the seat. David nodded his head in the rear view mirror and turned his attention back onto the road, making his way towards the outer city limits and towards home. Quinn slept the entire way back, exhausted by the night. Sometimes putting on a front was more tiring than it was worth and in recent years she had really considered bowing out of public life and sitting back and finally enjoying her life. But she needed to keep up the front, she needed to maintain her power so that she could protect the most precious thing in her life.

You see, while Quinn was the almighty and powerful in New York, there were still others out there who would do anything to be in her position, people who wanted that power and wouldn't think twice about harming Quinn to get it. Fortunately she was in a position of power that afforded her protection from all levels of the law, but that didn't mean those people wouldn't try to hurt her in other ways to get what they wanted. And that was one of the only things holding Quinn back, the desire and the need to protect what she valued most.

Quinn opened her eyes just in time to watch out the window as David drove up the lengthy driveway to Fabray Manor, a sprawling mansion on the outskirts of the city that was built upon acres and acres of land, and, out of the prying eyes of the public. Reaching in to the inside pocket of her coat she removed a diamond encrusted platinum wedding band and slipped it on her ring finger, smiling when it was back its rightful place. Once David pulled up at the door, he climbed out and made his way to the passenger door, opening it for his boss and helping her out. She thanked him and excused him for the night and then, made her way up the steps and to the open door where one of her maids was waiting to greet her.

"Good evening Ms. Fabray," she said, taking the woman's coat and folding it carefully over her arm before closing the huge oak door behind them. "Is there anything I can do for you? I could whip you up a small meal," she asked and Quinn smiled at her and shook her head. "No thank you Sofia. Could you just brew up some herbal tea and bring it to my room please," Quinn requested and the maid nodded her head before turning and making her way down the hall towards the kitchen.

Quinn reached up her hands and rubbed her neck, cracking it as she stepped out of her shoes and then bent down and picked them up in, her feet too tired to walk much further in the tall heels. Walking up the main staircase in the large foyer, she took a right at the top, climbed some more stairs and then turned left heading towards the wing that housed the master bedroom. Upon reaching her room she couldn't help the smile the crossed her face when through the door, she heard the sound of lullaby. Placing her hand on the door handle she pressed it down, pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Hi," a soft cheerful whisper greeted her, as she gently closed the door behind her, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her wife sitting in the large armchair next to the blazing fire that doubled as both heat and light in the spacious bedroom. As Quinn leaned down to drop her shoes on the floor, off to the side out of harm's way, her eyes lingered on the stunning brunette who slowly and carefully stood up from the armchair bracing herself on the arm of the chair with one hand, wobbling slightly before finding her balance and slowly making her way across the room towards her wife, Quinn never failing to notice the limp in her walk.

"Hey Rach," Quinn smiled as she moved towards the brunette, coming to a stop when they were face to face before leaning down and kissing the shorter woman, her hand curling in her wife's brown locks as she cupped the back of her head. When they pulled apart, Quinn gazed down and basked in the feeling of joy that settled in her heart. "Hey beautiful," she beamed, eyes roaming over the face of her sleeping four day old daughter as her hand cupped the back of her baby's head and gently stroked soft dark hair with her thumb.

"We missed you tonight," Rachel whispered softly, afraid to speak too loud out of the fear of rousing the sleeping baby. Quinn's attention returned to her wife and her face softened as she cupped a tanned cheek in the palm of her hand. "Not half as much as I missed you guys," she replied in all seriousness, bringing her lips to her wife's once more and kissing her passionately. It was in moments like this that Quinn wished she could lock herself away in the mansion and just spend the rest of her days with her wife and daughter, maybe think about adding another couple of kids to their little family. But reality always came crashing back down on her. A knock on the door sounded out and echoed around the room and Rachel called for whoever it was to come in.

"Your tea Ms. Fabray," she said as she placed the tray with the pot of tea and two cups on a table near the door. "Thank you Sofia, that'll be all for tonight," Quinn said and watched as her maid retired for the night. A yawn passed Rachel's lips and Quinn pecked her on the forehead as she placed her hands under her wife's that were cradling their daughter and gestured for her to pass her over, which she did. "Get into bed babe, you look exhausted," Quinn whispered her eyes showing nothing but concern and it brought a small smile to Rachel's lips.

"Okay, but only if you join me," she responded placing a hand on her wife's forearm and giving it a stroke. The blonde nodded and kissed the top of the brunette's head, "I will in a minute, I just wanna hold this little one for a while then I'll be right behind you," she said and Rachel nodded as she made her way to the king sized bed, her hand resting on her right hip as she limped across the room. Quinn took note of her wife's stilted walk and furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "Rach are you okay?" she asked. Rachel just gave her a tight lipped smile as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah I'm fine, I've just been on my feet all day and my hip is acting up," she responded noticing that her wife still looked on edge, "I'm fine Quinn I just need some rest." This seemed to ease the blondes worries for the time being as she turned her attention back to their sleeping daughter. Rachel meanwhile, reached down and rolled up the leg of her pyjama bottoms, revealing her titanium prosthetic leg, a false foot mounted to the bottom to make it appear more real so she could wear shoes. Pushing the material of her bottoms up past what would have been her knee, Rachel removed the prosthetic limb and carefully lay it down on the floor before climbing under the covers and into bed.

To this day, Quinn marvelled at the strength of her wife. After everything Rachel had been through she was still standing, still moving forward. Sure she had her bad moments and they often pained Quinn when she thought of the horrors her wife must have witnessed, what she must have been through, but she did everything in her power to be there for Rachel, to comfort her, to be there for Rachel to lean on, metaphorically speaking, and that was all that she could do, and that was all Rachel ever wanted her to do. But Quinn knew that when their daughter was older and able to understand, she would tell her about how much of a hero her Mama was and how brave she was and how proud she should be of her, just like Quinn was, every single day.

"Goodnight Peyton," Quinn whispered as she walked over to the crib next to their bed and lay her down. Leaning over the edge she pressed a soft gentle kiss on her daughters head and then brushed her thumb against a baby soft cheek, "sweet dreams." Standing back up, Quinn walked over to the dresser and removed a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms and quickly got changed, removing all jewellery except for her wedding band, and then crossing the room and climbing into bed, cuddling up to her wife and spooning her from behind.

"I love you," she whispered against the shell of her wife's ear, and Rachel laced her hand with her wife's over her stomach and smiled, turning her head so she could look into hazel eyes. "I love you too," she said before lifting her head from the pillow and kissing her wife. As far as she was concerned the public could have who they thought Quinn was, because as far as she was concerned, she had the real deal, and that was good enough for her. Laying her head back down, she basked in the feeling of Quinn snuggling closer and burying her head in dark brown locks as they both settled down for the night, locked away safe and sound from the prying eyes that intruded on Quinn's life every single day.

_**So, there we have, many questions are probably floating around right now like**_

_**How did Quinn get so rich and powerful?**_

_**How did she and Rachel meet?**_

_**Why does Rachel only have one leg?**_

_**Well don't worry, I'll be exploring everything so stick around and thanks for reading if you've made it this far **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I updated sooner than I thought. Thank you so much to everyone who added this to their favourites or fellows and especially to those who reviewed. I really appreciate it. **_

_**Some questions from the first chapter are answered or alluded to in this chapter, happy reading. And please review, I love hearing your thoughts I apologise in advance for any grammatical errors.**_

Quinn often wondered why she bothered keeping such a large dining hall in her house. She never used it, simply because she never held grand dinners or parties at the mansion as a general rule. No outsiders were allowed to step foot in Fabray Manor. The mansion was Quinn's home, more importantly, it was her family's home. So the dining hall mostly lay vacant and unused.

For the most part she preferred to have meals in the kitchen with Rachel and her staff. It felt more homely and it allowed Quinn to engage with her staff and treat them as equals rather than as "her lowly servants". Sure they worked for her, but they were still people, and some of those people had been working for the Fabray's since before Quinn was even born.

You see, Quinn didn't actually own the Manor, or Fabray Enterprises, she inherited them. The Fabray's have been powerful players in the world of business going back five generations. They were almost like the American royal family. At 19 years of age, after the death of her Grandmother, Quinn inherited the family business and the entire estate. By right it should have went to Russell, the eldest born child of Elizabeth and Charles which was how the empire was usually handled, but after the death of Quinn's grandfather, and more than a few wrong moves on Russell's part, Elizabeth wouldn't entertain the idea of leaving the family business in his care.

Russell Fabray was a man who epitomised the word greed. He wanted money and power more than anything else. But he knew if he were to get those things he would have to appear as the perfect family man to appease his parents, because Fabray's prided themselves on their families. So, he married Judy and 12 months later they welcomed Francine, their perfect little girl. Well almost. Fran had inherited her fathers' greedy nature, often putting her at odds with her grandmother who could not, and would not tolerate her petulant and spoiled ways.

Then, six years later, little Quinn arrived, the apple of her grandmothers' eye. You see, even though Quinn wasn't your typical average girl in the physical sense, she was everything the Fabray's could want in an heiress. She was incredibly smart, she was very well mannered and above all else, she was kind hearted and seemed unfazed by her family's wealth. That warm nature was what put her on the path to eventually inheriting everything.

But Quinn suffered a lot as a child at the hands of her father who couldn't accept having a daughter who was 'abnormal'. For the most part he ignored her existence and anytime he did speak to her, it was for the sole purpose of putting her down and reminding her how much of a freak she was. This tormented poor Quinn as a little girl and caused Elizabeth to rewrite the family will, removing any remote possibility of Russell getting his hands on the Fabray estate. As far as she was concerned, she would rather burn the entire family wealth, than allow her son to get his selfish hands on it.

By her teens, with the support of her grandmother, Quinn had given up trying to please her father and instead, did everything she could to enjoy life. She came out at 15 years of age and with her grandmothers blessing and encouragement, she began dating girls at her private school. This enraged Russell who kicked her out for being an 'abomination', unbeknownst to him, Elizabeth Fabray was waiting with open arms and a place for her granddaughter to call home. That was when Quinn Fabray officially moved into the Manor, and has never left since.

When she was 19 and a sophomore at college, Elizabeth passed away, leaving Quinn devastated and uncertain about her future, but a few weeks later a letter would arrived that would change her life forever. Quinn learned that she was the sole beneficiary of her Grandmothers will, and since her grandfather had died when Quinn was little there was no one to contest the arrangement. Neither Russell nor his siblings had a leg to stand on as Quinn was a Fabray by blood, meaning the will could not be contested. The arrangement angered many within the family and eventually, Quinn found herself estranged from the entire clan. A move they would regret when she cut them off from any and all forms of financial support they once had.

From that point on Quinn was determined to make a success of Fabray Enterprises and to bring it to new heights of success. She graduated from Yale with a Master's in business and had spent every day up to the present time rebuilding the company's image and making it the most powerful empire in the world, never forgetting the value of family and the pride the Fabray name once held that she was determined to re-establish and particularly it's charitable history.

Quinn spent the best part of her twenties between working hard and continuing her charitable work, and living it up, bedding more women then she actually dated. But she wasn't stupid, with her ability to impregnate women, Quinn knew that there was every possibility that some would try to trap her and get their hands on her money by purposely getting pregnant and that wasn't a risk the blonde was willing to take. On top of that Quinn didn't want to have a child with somebody she didn't love and who'd didn't genuinely love her.

She was well aware of the fact that most women were only after her for her money and lifestyle and that they simply put up with her condition to please her and pleasure themselves. If there was a man in her position, with her wealth and power, most of those women wouldn't look twice at Quinn. She wasn't normal and she knew that having painfully been reminded of that fact almost daily by the people who were supposed to be her family and by the string of young who had been repulsed by Quinn's anatomy before she became wealthy. Still she held out hope that one day she would find someone who could love her, all parts of her.

With that in mind Quinn began getting a contraceptive injection every three months that worked for her much in the same way the pill worked for women. The injection temporarily made Quinn's sperm sterile and made it a biological impossibility for her to impregnate anyone until she stopped having the injections and was ready to settle down. Nobody knew that Quinn was having the injections and it made it easier for the blonde to determine which conquests were after her for her money and which just wanted a good fuck, the latter would usually require her to wear a condom.

A real family, a family of her own, that was the dream goal for Quinn and she wasn't prepared to risk crushing that dream because of a stupid mistake. Little did Quinn know that by the time she reached her 30's, that dream would become a reality. Sitting in the kitchen feeding Peyton her morning bottle that Rachel had expressed early, she engaged in light morning conversation with her kitchen staff who were either feasting on their own breakfast, or preparing breakfast for their boss and her wife.

"Ms. Fabray, will you be requiring our services while you and Mrs. Fabray are away this week?" asked Abigail, the youngest of the staff and the one who often worked as Peyton's nanny, though her services in that area were often unnecessary as both Quinn and Rachel were both very hands on with their daughter. Quinn glanced up at her maid and shook her head as she adjusted her grip on Peyton's bottle.

"No thank you Abigail. You're all free to do as you please while we're gone. Just no house parties. Rachel will kill you if you ruin the new hardwood floors she just had put in the lounge," she joked and her maid chuckled at the insinuation that she would do such a thing. At that moment Rachel appeared in the kitchen wearing her workout clothes, a tight fitting Nike vest top and knee length cotton pants that showed off her prosthetic leg. There was a time that the brunette would have flat out refused to have the leg on display, but over time, and with the encouragement of Quinn and their staff, she had grown more comfortable with showing it off, nobody treated it as an abnormality, it was as much a part of Rachel as any other part of her body.

"What will I do?" she asked having caught the tail end of the conversation. Quinn smiled up at her and shook her head. "Nothing dear, I was just engaging our workers here in mindless conversation. Rachel glared at her playfully as she lowered herself to the stool next to her wife. "Mhm, I'm sure you were," she responded before grinning back and then pecking Quinn upon the lips. A soft grunt from Peyton brought their attention to their daughter who was having up at them with wonder filled eyes.

"Hey don't you start ganging up on me too. It's hard enough for me to compete with your Mama," Quinn giggled lightly as she removed the bottle from her daughters lips and placed it on the table in front of her and then brought the bib around her daughters neck up to her lips to wipe away the excess milk and spit that was spilling down the little girls chin from trying to take in too much liquid at once without swallowing. When she was clean again Quinn brought the bottle back to her daughters' mouth but Peyton refused it.

"You had enough baby girl?" She questioned, trying once more and getting the same reaction. "Okay," Quinn said in a baby voice as she put the bottle down and Rachel put a towel over her shoulder before her wife positioned Peyton for burping. As Quinn worked away patting and rubbing circles on the little girls back, Rachel dished out some pancakes onto two plates and served them with some strawberries and cream from the stack freshly served out in the table. After pouring both herself and her wife some orange juice she sat down and tucked into her own meal.

"Did you finish packing your bag last night?" Rachel asked before popping a generous amount of pancake into her mouth. Quinn nodded her head as she finished with Peyton and handed her to Abigail to set her in her cushioned swing chair so Quinn could eat her breakfast. "Yep, all packed. What about you? Are you okay with all this?" Quinn asked, keeping a watchful eye on her wife as she asked the question before continuing, "I know Lima doesn't exactly have the best memories for you," she finished placing a comforting hand on her wife's forearm. Rachel smiled at the gesture before shifting Quinn's hand from her forearm so she could hold it in her own, lacing their fingers together.

"No it doesn't. But the glee club was always there for me when I needed it most and I wanna be there to say goodbye to it," the brunette replied with a sad sigh. Her old high school club was being shut down after McKinley lost a substantial amount of funding and had to make cuts to keep on budget. Since the glee club were no longer as successful as they used to be, it was one of the first things to go and saddened Rachel more than thought it would. So the original members from the clubs heyday were going back to Lima to say goodbye.

"Besides, I'll have you and Peyton there with me to keep the bad memories away," Rachel said with steely determination and Quinn gave her a lopsided smile as she raised their joined hands to her lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of a tanned hand. "Always," the blonde responded with before digging into her pancakes.

The decision for Quinn to go back with Rachel had never been in question. The moment her wife came to her and explained what was happening Quinn told her she was going with her. Rachel however was reluctant to allow it at first knowing that in a small town like Lima it would be near impossible for them to go unnoticed. But Quinn refused to allow her wife to go alone and arranged for a house for them to stay in just outside of Lima that would keep them away from prying eyes, after that revelation, Rachel gave in silently grateful for her wife's stubbornness. However what she didn't know, was that Quinn had every intention of joining her in the choir room even if it was against her better judgement.

"What time are we flying out at?" Rachel asked once she had cleared her plate. Quinn glanced at her wrist watch and then turned her attention back to her wife as she picked up her glass of orange juice. "In two hours. I figure that will give us enough time to do any last minute checks before we leave," she replied and then drained the last of her juice. Rachel nodded and then stood up and walked over to the swing chair to pick up her daughter who was wide awake.

"Hi baby," she cooed as she rested Peyton against her shoulder, "are you excited about taking you first trip?" she said as she stepped back over to Quinn whose eyes locked with her daughters. "I'm gonna change her and then grab a shower. Can you do one more check and make sure we have everything? I made a list and put it next to our luggage," Rachel said as she rubbed soothing circles on her daughters back. Quinn nodded her head as she played with her daughters hand and then looked up at her wife. "Sure babe," she replied and then leaned up and pecked Rachel on the lips and watched as she left the kitchen.

To say Rachel was anxious about the trip would be an understatement. She hadn't stepped foot in Lima since graduation, before she enlisted in the army, and that pretty much kept her constantly on the move. Or at least it did until... Well it just didn't anymore. She was afraid of what her former fellow glee teammates would think of her. Apparently it wasn't uncommon for soldiers returning from active duty to ponder such things, especially if they had been through what Rachel had been through.

Feeling lost and disconnected from society and people you used to know was something a lot of military men and women contended with upon returning home. Often feeling lost and isolated by their experiences, it was difficult to assimilate and to get back to the life they knew before. And Rachel struggled, God did she struggle, which was probably why she was more than willing to stay out of the spotlight. It was hard enough just trying to restart her life upon meeting Quinn, there was no way she could deal with living under a microscope, which was why she was so accepting of Quinn's double life and the women that the blonde used as part of her cover, because she knew her wife was protecting her the best way she could in their position.

After the couple had been married, Quinn had said at she would put and end to that part of her public life, out of respect for her wife and their marriage. But Rachel wouldn't allow it, because she knew that if Quinn suddenly stopped the womanising lifestyle she had been known for, that it draw attention to her personal life, people would ask questions and wonder why the most chased after woman in NYC was suddenly celibate, and neither Rachel nor Quinn wanted that attention. So they had agreed that the blonde save face and continue to keep up appearances with those women.

After showering and changing and dressing Peyton for the day, Rachel made her way downstairs and found Quinn waiting in the front living room with all of their luggage. This living room, much like the dining hall, was left mostly unused. Neither girl liked how big it was it felt too large to be comfortable in. So Quinn had converted one of the smaller rooms to the back of the house into a more acceptable living quarters where the girls would spend evenings reading or catching up on their favourite TV shows together.

"Hey," Quinn smiled as she caught sight of the pair and moved to meet them in the middle, "so I've checked everything on the list and I've got the new cushioning pads for your leg you got the other day." Rachel nodded her head as she took everything in and then thanked Quinn before she remembered something. "Oh, what about..." Before she could finish Quinn kissed her and cut her off and then gazed down at her when their lips parted.

"I've packed your spare prosthetic. Don't worry Rach we've got everything," Quinn said in a calm voice. The spare prosthetic Quinn was talking about was one of several Rachel had, all of which served a different purpose. The brunette preferred to wear the titanium leg for the most part because it offered the most support and was the most comfortable but sometimes she needed something different depending in the occasion.

The leg in question was a prosthetic that looked exactly like a normal leg and even had a skin like texture. Whenever Rachel felt like wearing a dress, which wasn't often, she preferred to wear that particular prosthetic because it didn't stand out quite as much. As Quinn moved to lift Peyton from Rachel's arms David appeared in the doorway with two of the male staff.

"We're ready to go Ms. Fabray, the jet has been fuelled and is awaiting your arrival," he announced as the other two men began gathering the luggage and carrying it out to the car. "Thank you David, we'll be right out," she replied and the man bowed his head and left the room. Lacing her hand with her wife's Quinn looked Rachel in the eye gave her hand a squeeze.

"Are you ready?" she asked, as she watched the brunette take deep even breaths. Rachel nodded her head and finally gazed up at Quinn. "I'm ready, she stated resolutely and with those words they made their way out to the car and climbed, Quinn holding her daughter securely in one arm and keeping a hold of her wife's hand in the other that was resting on the arm rest.

Quinn knew going back to Lima was a big deal for her wife and she was determined to make it as easy as possible. She also knew that it was bound to drum up a lot of questions, questions that, if people were prepared to listen and respect their privacy, she was prepared to answer. But she would not risk compromising her happy family life for anything. She was going to be as smart as possible about this. She wanted Rachel to leave Lima with at least some happy memories she could cherish. This trip was about her wife and bringing closure to her past, nothing else.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Again thanks for all the follows, really appreciate it. Please, please, pretty please leave a review, they make me smile, and update **_

5 Years Ago

What should have been over by now, had suddenly reared its ugly had once again, the war in Afghanistan was raging on still and soldiers were in the trenches once more, many suffering substantial injuries, others losing their lives. Quinn had often wondered how those men and women who returned home put their lives back together? How they picked themselves up and carried on, and it wasn't until she had spent a considerable amount of time at the medical and rehabilitation centre she had built and financed that she could even begin to fully understand why. They did it because they had to, because the alternative was to give up, or worse, and she'd seen that happen too.

These men and women selflessly put their lives on the line for an often thankless cause. Too many times Quinn had seen soldiers return home suffering mentally and emotionally from what they had been through, what they had seen, left to fend for themselves after giving everything to protect their country and its people only to have those same people turn their backs when those soldiers needed their help.

The official reason was that hospitals, medical centres and treatment facilities were overcrowded. Quinn thought it was bullshit. If the government truly cared about the soldiers who they praised in their speeches while standing behind the safety of their podiums and television screens, they would find a way to make sure they were okay, that they were given the proper care and treatment to get through whatever hardship they were facing. But they didn't care enough, so Quinn knew she had no other choice but to create a solution herself.

The Charles Fabray Memorial Centre was the first of several large medical and rehabilitation clinics across the country to help aid and heal soldiers returning from war. Offering them, not just physical support, but mental and emotional support and care as well. With Quinn's grandfather having been a veteran who fought in Vietnam, she was all too aware of the horrors of war, so for Quinn there was no question about her commitment to helping the troops, because to her it was inevitable.

What she hadn't expected, was how involved she would become in the entire set up. You see Quinn didn't just help to build these centres, she didn't just plough money into them in the hopes of feeling like she was doing good, she was proactive in her bid to help those men and women. She visited the centre in New York regularly and often chatted with the patients and their families. She watched movies and TV with them, played endless games of poker, ping pong and X Box, and joked and laughed with them, anything to make them feel like normal human beings and not porcelain dolls who could break at any minute.

Glancing around the room, Quinn smiled at the sight of the laughter emanating from the soldiers sitting around who were laughing at whatever comedy movie they were watching. Moments like that made everything worth it in Quinn's eyes. Just off to the side of the room next to the exit, her gaze fell upon a brunette woman in a wheelchair and curiosity got the better of her. Turning to her left she nudged Jack in the side, a young soldier she often conversed with on her visits who had lost the eye and the hearing on the left side of his face following a grenade explosion.

"Hey, who's the brunette in the wheelchair next to the exit?" She whispered, making sure to lean in close enough that he was able to hear her. Jack turned away from the screen and glanced in the direction of the woman in question and then looked down at Quinn. "Her names Rachel, she just got transferred here from a hospital in Afghan. Don't know much about her. She pretty much keeps to herself outside of rehab and group therapy," he said in a hushed voiced, his Queen's accent shining through. Quinn nodded at what he said, her eyes never straying from the woman.

Curiosity continued to grow and Quinn wondered what brought the woman here. It wasn't until the brunette turned the wheelchair back to leave that Quinn realised what it was. Glancing down she noticed that brunettes left leg was sitting properly in the foot rest and that her right... Wasn't. Moving her gaze up she realised that all that was left of the woman's right leg was the thigh, which was resting on a pillow. Everything from the knee down was completely gone.

Having spent time with many amputees, it was second nature to Quinn, she never glanced twice like most people would when they saw something slightly out of the ordinary. In fact she never acknowledged it unless the other person brought it up. She'd heard many horror stories of how soldiers had lost limbs in war, from explosions to shootings. The pain they must have felt was unimaginable to the blonde. She always found it interesting to watch how they compensated, the way the human body was able to adapt, with and without the use of prosthetics.

While lost in her musings, the film had ended and everyone began making their way off to various parts of the centre, some to rehab, some to therapy, most headed for the leisure centre to use the gym or to go for a swim. When Jack stood up to leave Quinn checked the time and realised she was due to attended a business meeting. Gathering her belongings she headed for the exit, making a point to get acquainted with the new arrivals on her Friday visit.

When the day finally rolled around, she walked into the centre and greeted the staff, the people she had come to think of as friends with how often she was in their company, and then made her way to the general purposes area where the soldiers usually sat around sharing war stories or playing card games. Upon stepping foot in the room she grinned at the sight of the families who were visiting their loved ones. Young children were clambering up into mothers and fathers laps, husbands and wives reconnecting and parents looking relived to have their sons and daughters home.

After a quick round of greetings and many a thank you from the families for what she had done for their countries war heroes, Quinn made her way to reception to check up in the list of arrivals and transferals. There had been ten in the last week and after finding out where the new people were she spent the next two hours making introductions and promising them the best care possible. But on her travels, she failed to spot the brunette from her last visit.

"Hey Margaret, have you seen...," Quinn trailed off as she glanced down at the list of new arrivals in her hand, "Rachel Berry?" She asked looking back up at the nurse. Margaret nodded her head and looked up from the computer screen before glancing over her shoulder at the electronic board on the wall that showed the nurses what room belonged to each person. "Try room 216," she replied and Quinn thanked her as she turned on her heel and opted out of using the elevator and headed for the stairs.

Once she reached the second floor she made her way down the corridor and glanced in each door as she passed to make sure the brunette wasn't socialising with one of her fellow floor mates. Most of the rooms were empty, until she reached room 216 and she potted the brunette laying on her bed, propped up by some pillows. Reaching out her hand she gently knocked on the doorframe and waited to be welcomed into the room. But the brunette didn't even look away from whatever she was in the TV, she just exhaled a large breath.

"Look I told you already I don't want to go to group, I don't want to use the leisure centre and I don't want...' She cut herself off when she finally looked towards the door and realised it wasn't one of the nurses or councillors at the door, but a blonde woman who was watching her with an amused glint in her eye. Quinn took a tentative step inside the room, her hands coming to rest in her back pockets. "Well that's good 'cause I wasn't going to suggest any of those things," she said with a smile as Rachel watched her get closer and closer to her bedside.

"I'm Quinn, Quinn Fabray," the blonde said as she placed a hand against her chest. Rachel didn't need to question what that name was supposed to mean to her, she'd have to have been living on Mars not to know who the blonde was. However, just because Quinn was a big deal to the rest of the world, didn't mean she was entitled to the brunettes' time. "Look, I don't know what you want, but I just wanna be left alone," Rachel said, her eyes almost pleading with Quinn to leave her be.

The blonde wasn't put out by the woman's request for her to leave, it wasn't the first time it had happened when she made introductions to new arrivals, but there was something in those brown eyes that captured Quinn, that made her heart stutter in reluctance at the thought of just walking away. But she had to respect Rachel's wishes. Quinn wasn't a nurse, a doctor, or a councillor, she had no business forcing Rachel to do anything she didn't want to, even if her intentions were just to help in some way. So she just nodded and stepped back towards the door.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone. But I hope we can talk sometime? I come here quite a bit so you'll see my face around here a lot," Quinn said with a lopsided grin. Rachel turned away from the tv screen and glanced at Quinn briefly before looking away and turning her attention back to the screen. "Yeah, maybe," she whispered, though her response lacked any real sort of conviction. Quinn simply tipped her head and then made to exit the room, knowing full well that she wouldn't just leave Rachel to wallow in whatever feelings or thoughts seemed to be plaguing her.

So Quinn returned two days later and hung out with the troops like she usually did, but there was no Rachel. She returned a few days after that and caught a brief glimpse of her watching the news on Afghanistan in the lounge area but then the brunette wheeled away back to her room. It was a week after first meeting Rachel, that Quinn saw her actually doing something in the centre. She was in the rehab wing working with a physiotherapist and seemed to be in a considerable amount of pain.

When two weeks had passed, Quinn was slowly losing the fight to stay away from the brunette, she wanted to make sure she was okay but didn't want to intrude on Rachel if she didn't want her there. But what was really bothering Quinn was something different altogether. It struck her one day in the lounge when she was talking with some of the families that not once since Rachel had arrived had Quinn seen anyone come and visit the brunette. She wasn't sure if it was because Rachel had requested no visitors, which wasn't unusual, or if nobody had actually bothered to come and visit. When Quinn finally couldn't sit back anymore, she approached Margaret to find out what was going on.

"Hey, has anyone been in to visit Rachel?" she asked, sitting down on one of the swivel chairs behind the desk next to the nurse. Margaret kept her eyes on the computer in front of her as she spoke. "No, not that I'm aware of. I figured family or friends or something would have stopped in by now but there's been no one in since she arrived." Quinn clucked her tongue as she sat forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Has she refused visitation rights?" she asked, wondering if maybe Rachel had made that type of request.

Margaret shook her head no. There had been no visitation restrictions and no requests made by Rachel Berry to refuse visitations from anyone. So where was the brunettes' family? The nurse could see the cogs in the blondes brain going into overdrive so she decided to offer up a morsel of information that may help the billionaire with whatever she was thinking about so hard that had her so curious about this particular patient.

"Look, from my experiences working in military hospitals for the past 20 years, if a soldier has no visits from family, it's usually because they don't have one. A lot of young kids, orphans, sign up for the army because they want the comradery, the sense of belonging somewhere and having someone watching out for them. Maybe this Rachel you've been obsessing over, is one of those kids." With that Margaret returned to her work and Quinn was left with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

In Quinn's head it made sense. It was unusual for anyone in the centre to be present as long as Rachel and to have no visitors at all. On top of that, Quinn couldn't recall seeing any indication in Rachel's room that there were people in her life who were close to her. No photographs, no homely comforts, it lacked warmth. And maybe that was why Rachel was reluctant to engage in the centre. Because participating meant getting better, and getting better meant going back out into a world that was empty. Rachel needed a friends, and Quinn was going to her damnedest to show the brunette that she could be that friend.

"Thanks Margaret," Quinn said as she stood up and made her way around the reception desk and towards the elevator. The nurse just shook her head, knowing exactly where her boss was going. When Quinn reached the designate floor, she stepped out of the elevator and made her way to Rachel's room. Once she was close enough she heard a male voice telling Rachel she was doing great and Quinn frowned. Stepping towards the door she looked inside and found the brunette with resident doctor performing some sort of procedure, a nurse standing next to him. Rachel looked like she was in pain.

"What's going on?" Quinn asked frowning, not missing the way Rachel's knuckles were turning white from gripping the bed sheet beneath her. Rachel looked like she wanted to protest the blondes present but she was struggling too much with trying to sound weak that she kept her mouth shut. The doctor glanced up at Quinn, a tweezers type instrument in his hand and then held it up towards the light so the blonde could see the piece of metal caught between it.

"Shrapnel from the explosion, still lodged in the skin," he said as he dumped it into the metal tray on the trolley beside him. Quinn shouldn't have been in there and she knew it, not that what the doctor was doing was particularly private, he had done many similar procedures like this openly before. From their time spent in cramped hospitals, the soldiers were used to being exposed like this and with so many people needing attention it was quicker for him to work in such a manner.

"Well why wasn't it taken out before she got here?" Quinn asked, her tone slightly biting when she remembered the pain Rachel seemed to have been in during rehab, probably due to the pieces of metal still lodged in her skin. The doctor glanced up at her before making another attempt to retrieve more. "Shrapnel can be tricky, it doesn't always show up at first. Sometimes it takes a little while for it to appear beneath the skin, and when it does, it can be a real pain, if it weren't for the fact these bad boys were in danger of serious infection, I wouldn't be removing them at all." As he made another cut into the skin Quinn saw Rachel wince and without thinking she stepped up beside the bed and removed the brunette hand from the bed sheet and gripped it in her own. A moment later she felt Rachel squeeze back.

"Did you give her an anaesthetic?" she asked, wondering why Rachel was reacting so much. "We gave her a mile sedative and gave her a localized anaesthetic to numb the nerves in the surrounding area, but it can still be felt whenever I insert the forceps." Quinn looked down at Rachel and for a moment they maintained eye contact, and Quinn smiled softly at her, giving her hand another squeeze before Rachel closed her eyes again. Maybe she could gain the brunettes trust and build a friendship.

Present Day

As they sat in town car driving through the streets of Lima, Quinn slipped her arm around her wife's waist and rested her hand on the brunettes' hip, her thumb sneaking under the material of Rachel's shirt and stroking the marred skin of her wife's lower back. She knew there was still a few small pieces of shrapnel under there, but they didn't cause Rachel any pain, which was all they could hope for. Peyton was sound asleep in Rachel's arms by the time they pulled up at the house Quinn had rented, it was perfect and secluded enough that they were out of the public eye.

"We're here," Quinn said quietly gazing out the window and recognising the house from the pictures her assistant had shown her. Rachel glanced up from watching Peyton sleeping and smiled and as the driver pulled into the driveway, the brunette handed her daughter over to Quinn, who gently cradled the baby against her chest and climbed out first, knowing Rachel needed her hands free so she could balance while getting out of the car.

Once out of the car, they both made their way up to the door and Quinn pulled a key out of her pocket that had been given to her by the driver upon their arrival at the private airfield and opened the door. Stepping inside she allowed Rachel to pass her and then left it open for the driver to bring in their bags. The house was very homely, though compared to living in a huge Manor on the outskirts of New York, anything remotely smaller felt homely.

"Looks like somebody's awake," Quinn cooed as she removed the pink cap from Peyton's head now that they were inside. "Hey little star, did you decide to join the party," she said in a quiet voice as she gazed down at Peyton who was trying to burrow her face into the crook of Quinn's neck. The blonde smiled down at her daughter and pressed a soft kiss to her daughters forehead and then turned her attention to Rachel who had moved into the lounge and was gazing out through the window. Walking across the room, she wrapped her arm around her wife and pulled her close.

"Hey, are you okay?" she whispered, pulling Rachel from her thoughts. The brunette snapped out of her daze and nodded before kissing her wife on the lips and then resting her head on her wife's shoulder. "Yeah, just, taking it all in. It's just a lot, you know," she replied and Quinn pressed her lips to Rachel's temple, breathing her in. "I know. But we're here for you, whatever you need," she mumbled, flexing her arm around her wife to emphasise her point. Rachel tilted her head up and kissed the underside of Quinn's jaw and then laid her head back down on her wife's shoulder. Exhaling a deep breath through her nose she glanced back out the window and whispered to herself "Welcome home to me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay in updating, I actually lost this file and it took me ages to locate it. Anyways thanks for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter.**

The soft subtle sounds of a new-born baby beginning to wake somehow managed to rouse an exhausted Rachel from sleep. It was one of the magical things about motherhood, the ability to hear even the slightest movement from a child, it was both a gift and a curse. Dark chocolate eyes flickered open in the dimly lit room, the first signs of morning beginning to break over the horizon. As she began to shift around in bed she felt the tell-tale signs of her wife's happy morning dreams digging into her thigh.

Rachel giggled lightly, the vibration doing just enough to wake a snoozing Quinn who was spooning her from behind. The blonde briefly leaned away from Rachel, resting on the side of her back to rub at her face and wipe the heaviness of sleep from her eyes before rolling back into her wife and squeezing her tight with the arm wrapped across the brunettes' stomach. As she pulled Rachel flush against her, she too realised that parts of her body had woken up a little before the rest of her.

"Morning," Rachel giggled as she rolled over to face her wife, Quinn groaning at the fact she had actually woken up with morning wood. She hadn't done that in years. Though to be fair to her, she'd never been deprived of sex for more than a day or two as she had quiet an active sex life with her wife. However since Peyton had been born they hadn't been intimate for obvious reason that Rachel was recovering from the trauma experienced by her lower region and since their daughter had only been born a week ago, to the very day, it would be a while before they could do that again. But as soon as the doctor gave them the okay, Quinn was planning a very special night for them.

"You know, I could help you with that if you want," Rachel said quirking her eyebrow suggestively, her hand resting against Quinn's chest. The blonde smiled at her before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her lips and then pulling away shaking her head in the negative. "No, no we talked about this, if I'm gonna to be getting any sort of pleasure it's gonna be when you're ready and we can do it together," Quinn replied, pressing a kiss to the tip of Rachel's nose. The brunette smiled up into hazel eyes, appreciating her wife's desire to wait until both their needs could be met. The soft whimpers of a baby on the brink of a full on crying fit drew both their attention to the bassinet next to the bed.

"Looks like the little cub is ready for feeding time," Quinn chuckled as she glanced over towards where the baby was sleeping. Rachel sighed as she shifted over in the bed towards the edge, sat up and then kicked her left leg out from under the duvet and placed it on the ground and then shifted her stump so it was more comfortable. Quinn had the bright idea of placing the bassinet closer to the bed so Rachel wouldn't have to worry about having to put on her prosthetic or hopping around to get to their daughter. Reaching inside, the brunette carefully lifted the tiny tot into her arms and then, using her left leg she twisted her body back into the bed and rested against the headboard.

"You okay?" Quinn asked, having kept a steadying grip on her wife's hips, knowing that it was a little tricky for Rachel to get back into the bed when her hands were full with the baby. With a nod of the head Rachel shifted Peyton into a lying position in her arm and then pulled down the neck of her deep v neck t-shirt below her breast and positioned her daughters head near her nipple so she could latch on. Peyton's lips bobbed up and down at first as they sought out the source of her food before finally latching onto her mothers' breast. Quinn sat up and rested against the headboard, her hand cupping the back of her daughters head and stroking soft hair.

"Wow," Quinn sighed in awe. For some reasons, and she wasn't sure why, Quinn found the abilities of the female body absolutely astounding. The fact that Rachel could provide for their daughter like that, it was beautiful, and Quinn couldn't understand anyone who would think otherwise. The female body was built do wonderful things, things that should be celebrated. Quinn vividly remembered crying her eyes out when Peyton was born and how she couldn't stop thanking her wife for giving her such a beautiful daughter. But no matter how much she thanked her, Quinn felt like she owed Rachel so much more for what her body had been through, so she had silently vowed to herself that she would always show her wife how much she was loved and appreciated and that they would never become complacent in spending quality time together now that they were parents.

"Wow what?" Rachel asked with a smile on her face as she glanced up from Peyton, a smile on her face. Quinn blushed after realising that she had said that out loud and averted her eyes from her wife to gaze lovingly at their daughter whose little jaw was working away drawing milk and much needed nutrients. "Just, this, watching you guys together like this, it's beautiful," she whispered almost breathlessly and then it was Rachel's turn to blush at the sincerity of the words. They both turned their attention to their daughter and quietly watched her feed.

Peyton was the perfect blend of both of them. She had Rachel's skin tone and though her eyes were constantly changing, they were both convinced that they would be brown as they grew darker and darker every day. Her once darker hair had grown fair over the last few days and Rachel was convinced it would turn a shade of dirty blonde, similar to Quinn's natural hair colour, which she began dying to it's now familiar lighter shade when she was 15. Peyton also had Quinn's nose and a dimple in her chin that Rachel was sure would one day match the subtle cleft her wife had in hers.

"You know you should probably go sort that out if you're not gonna take me up on my offer," Rachel teased as she briefly glanced down to her wife's morning wood that was straining against tight black boxer shorts. Quinn followed the brunettes line of sight and huffed out a laugh at the fact she was still rock hard, all nine inches standing to attention and ready for action, which unfortunately wasn't coming, no pun intended. "Yeah, I'm gonna go take a shower," Quinn said as she moved away from her wife and daughter after giving them both a kiss and climbed out of the bed. "A really long, cold, shower," she groaned as she slipped into the en suite.

As soon as Quinn felt that first splash of freezing cold water hit her skin, she went flaccid almost in seconds, which was a relief, she really was determined to hold out until she could have her wife the way she wanted to. It probably sounded cheesy but Quinn didn't care, there was something about being with Rachel that was special for Quinn, each and every time. Because with her wife, it was never just sex, it was never just a quick fuck to get off, they made love, each and every time they were together and there was something about it that Quinn found really romantic and she didn't care how sappy that sounded.

Quinn had spent so much of her life confused about who she was, physically and emotionally. She knew pretty early on that she would never be able to have a normal relationship with a man and after she realised that she was actually gay, that brought on a whole new level of confusion because she didn't know how she was supposed to have a normal physical relationship with another woman when the only way she could make love, was to make love like a man. It tormented Quinn through her adolescence until girls started getting curious, then somehow the world became her oyster.

However she quickly realised that it was all superficial, the girls never really cared about Quinn and eventually she became numb to the entire physical act. But that first time, with Rachel, everything changed, she felt a connection she had never felt before in her life, a connection that travelled right through her entire body and sent a jolt to her heart that was like an awakening. She was in love, hopelessly, deeply in love and ever since that night every time she was with her wife intimately it was always meaningful and Quinn never took a single moment of it for granted.

Once she climbed out of the shower, towelled off, brushed her teeth and dressed for the day, Quinn took over mommy duty with Peyton so that Rachel could get ready. It was Monday morning and the brunette was due to begin her week back at McKinley and to say she was nervous would be an understatement. She hadn't seen a lot of her old club mates in years, since graduation mostly. It had been her own fault, after joining the army she pretty much lost touch with the outside world and when she did return she had spent a lot time feeling lost and rebuilding her life, and more importantly, she was beginning new life with Quinn. She just hoped that everyone else would would understand.

After shuffling around getting dressed and putting on her prosthetic and making sure it was properly secured, she stood up and made her way downstairs and upon entering the kitchen, she found Peyton perched securely in her chair in full view of Quinn as the blonde prepared breakfast. A sight that only became frequent to Rachel when she was pregnant. Normally the staff at the manor had breakfast prepared for them by the time they arrived in the kitchen. This was a nice change of pace. Walking up behind Quinn she wrapped her arms around a slender waist and pressed a kiss between her shoulder blades, the action causing a smile to spread across the blondes lips.

"Hey," Quinn said as she turned her head and glanced over her shoulder to her wife who had leaned up on her tip toes and connected their lips in a sweet kiss. "Hey back," Rachel replied and then moved to stand next to her wife and glanced down at the breakfast plates that had toast, eggs and bacon on them, and were accompanied by small fruit bowls as a side dish with some fresh juice and coffee. "Smells great," she complimented as she picked up the two plates and carried them to the breakfast nook and sat them down. Quinn carried over the fruit bowls and juice, then returned to grab the coffee before sitting down.

"You nervous about today?" Quinn asked after swallowing a mouthful of food. Rachel thought about the question for a moment and realised that she was more than a little nervous but she didn't want to back out of saying goodbye to the glee club. "Yeah but, I don't know, I feel like I have to do this. To get, I don't know, closure or something," tried to explain, though she probably wasn't making much sense. Quinn nodded regardless to show that whatever Rachel's reasons she supported her.

"Well I'm here if you need me, for whatever. Just call or text," Quinn said earning a grateful smile from Rachel. Just as they were finishing up breakfast a car horn sounded outside and Quinn frowned in confusion until she saw her wife standing up. "That's my cab, I better get going," Rachel said as she walked over towards a sleeping Peyton and leaned down pressing a kiss to her forehead. Quinn stood up from her chair and followed the brunette, watching as she pulled on a blazer. "I thought I was dropping you off?" she asked as they reached the door. Rachel opened it and gestured to the cab driver she would be one minute.

"Yeah, and how exactly would that be keeping a low profile?" she asked and Quinn stalled on answering because Rachel had a point but considering Quinn's later plans to actually show up at glee club, she couldn't really see the problem. But that would require her to explain to Rachel what she was planning on doing which would inevitably lead to Rachel trying to convince her not to risk exposing their relationship. On any other day Quinn would argue back that she didn't care but she knew how stressed Rachel was about the day ahead already, she didn't want to add to that.

Which would probably make you wonder how just showing up would be any different. I mean if you think about it, it was still going against Rachel's wishes. But Quinn knew Rachel better than the brunette knew herself and she knew that at some point her wife would want her there and Quinn was more than prepared to put herself out there if it meant being there for Rachel. She just hoped the glee club were understanding of their situation. Huffing out a breath of defeat she kissed her wife told her she loved her and watched as she made her down the driveway to the waiting cab. Once the car pulled off Quinn retreated into the kitchen and crouched down in front of her daughter who had just woken up.

"Looks like it's just you and me precious," Quinn cooed as she lifted Peyton into her arms and held her close to her chest. "We better get you ready cause we're taking a little field trip later to see Mama's old school and we've gotta make sure you're all pretty for everyone," Quinn said and giggled a little as a little hum came from her daughter. "Oh I'm sorry, you're right you're already the prettiest girl, and when everyone sees you they'll fall in love with just like your Mama and I did."

Across town, Rachel had arrived at McKinley and since setting foot in the hallway she was once so familiar with, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made a mistake. Most of the student body were slowly arriving for their morning classes, ready to start the school day. Just as Rachel rounded the corner down the hallway that would lead to the choir room she spotted a familiar figure in the distance approaching the choir room from the other end. Their gazes locked as they both stopped their movements and glanced at each other from a distance before walking the last few feet that separated them and embracing each other tightly.

"Hey Puckerman," Rachel whispered with a light a chuckle as the man hugged her tighter, effectively lifting her feet from the ground before planting her back down and pulling back to smile down at her. "Hey Berry," he grinned, smiling proudly as he stood before her. Rachel noticed he was wearing his regular civilian clothing, not a trace of his military service other than the two military tags hanging from his chain, the same as the ones Rachel kept at home in box in her sock drawer.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Afghan," Rachel wondered as she gazed the man up and down noticing that he still seemed to be in tact aside from a faint scar on his left cheekbone. He rubbed the back of his neck before shoving his hands into his pockets and gazing down at her. We got shipped back from duty a week ago. I'm on leave for a couple weeks. Just seemed like good timing with all this going on," he explained. Just as Rachel was about to respond Puck cut her off looking slightly guilty.

"Look Rach, about what happened after you got shipped out of Afghan, I'm really sorry," he said looking genuinely apologetic. "I tried to make it back to say goodbye before you left but we were in deep with that damn mission. I'm just, I'm sorry," he reiterated but Rachel just shook her head. "Puck it's not your fault. There was no way you could've made it back in time and, I was in a bad place at the time. I would have just pushed you away even if you had showed," she reasoned as Puck stared down at the ground.

"I still felt shitty about it," he responded his eyes flickering up to glance at her. "I tried looking for you when I get back a couple months later but you just dropped off the radar," he said and Rachel bit her bottom lip, now she was the one feeling guilty. "Yeah sorry about that, I should have contacted you. I guess I just, I needed time to adjust, to everything," she explained and Puck tipped his head in understanding before smiling at her. "You look great Rach," he said and Rachel blushed before returning the smile and glancing up at him. "You too Puck." Offering out his arm, Rachel linked it with her own as they made their way to the choir and upon entering, all eyes were on them as everyone watched from their places seated on the risers. "Here we go," Puck mumbled under his breath.

Quinn kept a protective arm wrapped around Peyton, was perched safely in the carrier strapped to her mothers' body, as she pushed open the door to McKinley and stepped inside the school. Once inside she took a moment to gaze around admiring the fact that the schools colours of red, white and black were accented everywhere throughout in some way or another. Walking down the hallway she took a moment to stop and appreciate the trophy cases and other various shrines and things that adorned parts of the different hallways.

"I don't suppose you know which way to go?" she asked Peyton whose head was snuggled against her chest, probably being soothed to sleep by the sound of her heart beat. Just as Quinn was about to give up and seek someone out, she found a laminated map of the school pinned to a notice board and scanned it quickly, finding here she was and where she needed to be. From her current location she was closer to the auditorium than the choir room, and from listening to stories Rachel had told her about her high school days, she knew that the glee club often performed in there and decided that her best bet was to check there on the way rather than having to walk back if she was wrong.

After making her way almost to the bottom of the hall she found a pair of double doors with a sign above it saying something about April Rhodes followed by the word auditorium and she placed a hand on the door and pulled it open. Stepping inside she found a group of people sitting in the front seats in front of the stage, a curly haired man sitting at a desk behind that and there, on stage, front and centre, was her wife, singing Defying Gravity from Wicked. Moving down some of the steps, Quinn took a seat and watched on in awe as Rachel's voice soared through the high notes. Quinn had heard Rachel sing before countless times, but not like this, not with such passion or power, it was stunning. All too soon the song came to an end and the curly haired man was clapping, followed by a guy with a shaved head and then everyone else.

"You know, I always missed those Rachel Berry solo's, but I never realised just how much until now," the curly haired man said as he stood up, adjusting his sweater vest before stepping out from behind the desk and making his way down to his old glee clubbers were sitting. When Rachel began to make her way down the steps, Quinn took it as her cue to make her presence known. Walking down the steps, snoozing baby wrapped securely in her arms, Quinn made her way towards the front, not missing the whispering and curious eyes watching her.

Eventually Rachel too caught sight of the blonde and her mouth bobbed up and down in surprise and shock, her stellar hearing picking up the whispering of Kurt Hummel as he explained to his fiancé Blaine exactly who Quinn was. It seemed being a gossip monger wasn't just a phase it was in someone's nature. The curly haired man upon seeing where everyone's gazes were directed turned to find a blonde woman approaching and he raised a hand in a halt motion.

"I'm sorry this is a private gathering, you're going to have to leave," he said and Quinn's brow raised in challenge, undeterred by what he had said. Rachel, feeling the need to speak for her wife and clarify stepped forward. "It's okay Mr. Schue she's with me," Rachel said and watched as Will turned his attention back to the blonde who was now standing right in front of him, offering her hand to shake which he did. "I'm Quinn Fabray, Rachel's wife," she said proudly sending a smile towards the brunette who seemed conflicted about the whole situation. As things quietened down an exotic woman with dark raven hair and brown eyes snorted and broke the silence with one simple word. "Wanky."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Update! Hope you enjoy and thanks for all the follows and favourites. Reviews motivate me to update so please, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Anyways enjoy.**

The auditorium had emptied out, Mr. Schue having decided to shuffle the glee herd back to the choir room leaving Quinn and Rachel alone, though they did miss the curious eyes and not so subtle whispers as everyone left. But Quinn didn't care, she knew what she had signed up for when she made the decision to join her wife at this gathering. However she was confident things would turn out fine. If the glee crew were as supportive as Rachel made them out to be, then surely they would understand the position they were in and keep everything quiet.

Quinn was more concerned about what Rachel was thinking. She knew springing this on her wife had the potential to lead to problems but she couldn't find it I'm herself to care. Since they had officially gotten together as a couple all Quinn cared about was Rachel, and now Peyton. She didn't care about the risks to her public life anymore, she couldn't, she had a family who she was determined to make happy and to do that they needed people in their lives they could trust.

Ever since she had known Rachel the brunette had pretty much been a loner, her only friends in the city were the house staff because the former soldier had cut herself off from the outside world and Quinn couldn't help but feel responsible for that because she knew a big part of the reason Rachel did it, was so their family life wouldn't be exposed to the public. But it wasn't fair anymore. Quinn had close friends who knew about her real life, she wanted the same for her wife and if that meant exposing herself to Rachel's former school mates, than that's what she had to do.

Quinn knew that they couldn't keep living their lives the way they had been forever, especially as Peyton grew up and started making friends. Obviously there was still a major concern about her families safety, Quinn was a big target for underworld drug lords and mob bosses, people who wanted her power and money and would do whatever was necessary to get it. It was the reason why she faked her public life, to keep her family safe. For that reason she was all too aware that adjustments needed to be made to their current lifestyle. She had to find a way to expand her family's inner circle without jeopardising their safety.

Sitting in the the front row of the auditorium, Quinn gently rubbed Peyton's back as she watched her wife silently process what had just happened. She could almost hear Rachel's thoughts she was thinking that loud but she refused to speak until spoken to. After all, she had been the one to spring this on them out of the blue without any hint of warning, the least she could do was be patient. After another few moments passed Quinn was beginning to lose her will to stay silent, but just as she was about to speak, the question she had been waiting for came.

"Why?" Rachel asked in a hushed voice as she glanced up at Quinn, "why'd you do this? After we've worked so hard to keep us private, why now?". Quinn released a breath and turned in her seat so her body was angled towards her wife and glancing up into mahogany eyes, she spoke.

"Because I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of denying you and Peyton a life, of denying your existence to the world like you mean nothing when the truth is, you guys mean everything to me. You're my world and it's time people knew that. It's time they knew that I have something in my life that means more to me than money or business. I'm sick of hiding and I'm sick of pretending," Quinn sighed as her gaze dropped down to her sleeping daughter cradled in her arms before turning her attention back to her wife.

"You deserve more than this Rachel. You deserve to have friends, to have people you can count on without having to worry about what their motives are." Rachel's mouth opened as she prepared to contest what her wife was saying but Quinn stopped her. "No, Rach, you deserve to have more than just me and Peyton and if that means answering to these guys," Quinn said pointing over her shoulder towards the exit, "then I'm prepared to that." Rachel huffed out a breath and rubbed at her brow.

"Quinn we can't. There's a reason we've worked so hard to keep everything under wraps, if we go public now it could ruin everything," Rachel argued as she ran her fingers through her hair. Quinn shook her head and reached out her hand, lacing it with her wife's. "Rach, I'm not saying we go public to the world, I'm just saying maybe we could open up and allow room for some people to come into our world. On our terms obviously. Who knows, if this thing goes well you could even get your old friends back."

Rachel gazed into pleading hazel eyes and thought hard about what it was her wife was saying. Quinn was right, deep down she knew she was right. They couldn't keep living their lives the way they had been especially if they wanted Peyton to grow up in a normal family environment. But Rachel couldn't help but be sacred, not just of the potential of all if it blowing up in their face, but for other reasons.

Rachel's life changed dramatically after what happened in Afghanistan. The experience changed her, for better or worse she still wasn't entirely sure but she she wasn't the person she was before she left. It took a lot of time and Quinn slowly rebuilding her piece by piece for Rachel to feel like a normal human being again. She was afraid if she opened up that she would be rejected, or worse, that somebody would find a way to deconstruct her and she wasn't sure she could handle that. But deep down, she knew, she had to try.

"Okay," Rachel said with a nod of her head and Quinn lowered hers so she could catch her wife's eye. "Okay?" she asked, wanting reassurance as she gave her wife's hand a comforting squeeze. "Yeah, we can do this," Rachel said and Quinn smiled before carefully leaning forward and connecting their lips, weary of the sleeping baby between them. When they parted, Rachel stood up and offered her hand to her wife who gladly took it and feel into step with the brunette, following her lead as she guided them out of the auditorium and towards the choir room. Upon entering all eyes fell on them and squeezed the hand in hers in a silent show of support as Rachel guided them to the middle of the floor in front of everyone.

"Guys, I'd like you all to meet my wife, Quinn," she said as she glanced to her her side to lock eyes with her wife before resting her hand on her baby's back, who was sleeping soundly in her carrier strapped to Quinn, "and this, is our daughter, Peyton." Tina, Mike, Artie, Sam, Brittany, Blaine and Will all said hello with soft smiles on their faces, but the girls didn't miss the inquisitive looks of Santana, Kurt, Mercedes and Finn who seemed more interested in discovering the truth behind everything rather than making nice and Quinn instantly sensed this and slipped into protective mode,

"I know you probably have questions, some more than others," she said, the latter part of her statement aimed at particular members as she gazed directly at them. "And I will answer whatever questions you have on one condition, that you respect our privacy. What is said in this room stays in this room," Quinn stated, her voice laced with authority. "Because trust me, if anything about my family's private life gets out to the press there will be consequences. Understood?" she asked and received solemn head nods from many of the people in the room as Rachel gripped her wife's hand tighter, silently fearful of what was to come.

At the feeling of her wife's hand tensing in her own, Quinn gazed down at her with warm, comforting eyes, communicating that everything would be okay and that she would handle whatever was thrown at them. It ease Rachel's fears slightly, but there was still a hint of hesitancy there. After all, she knew the glee kids, or adults as they no were, better than Quinn. She hoped that the juvenile pettiness they were prone to as teenagers, had been left at the doors of McKinley all those years ago.

"Okay so the only thing I don't get is how this Quinn," Kurt said gesturing his finger up and down at the blonde, "can be the same Quinn Fabray who's allegedly screwing a different international model every other night. I mean unless this is some sort of crazy open relationship which I'm pretty the Rachel Berry I knew would not be okay with," he finished, glancing at them both with narrowed sceptical eyes.

Realising that this was probably going to be a long conversation, Quinn held up her finger in the universal gesture of 'give me a minute' and worked on opening the straps in the carrier so that she could pass her daughter off to Rachel. Once the restraints were free, she carefully passes the tiny precious bundle off to her wife and guided them into a vacant chair and then taking a seat next them, her arm wrapped protectively around the back of Rachel's chair.

"Okay so 'this Quinn'," the blonde repeated gesturing up and down at herself much like Kurt had, "this Quinn is the real me," she said as she glanced lovingly at her family. "The one you guys know is just a ruse to keep people from prying into my personal life," she explained. The raven haired Latina from earlier eyed her wearily and then spoke up. "Why not just be honest and open about it and keep your private life private like normal "celebrity" couples," she asked and Quinn could tell the woman was attempting to challenge her.

Quinn looked at Rachel, silently asking her if she was okay with her continuing to explain, after all, it was her life too that she was sharing. The brunette glanced up from their daughter and after a moment tipped her head to confirm that she was fine with it and then Quinn turned her attention back to the room full of people and continued.

"A couple of years ago I showed up an event with a woman, Alyson, and the next night we went out on a date, but it was a total disaster so we decided to just end things and carry on with our lives. But the information never made it out to the press and they just assumed we were still dating," Quinn recalled as everyone watched on with rapt attention. "A few days later, she was found dead in alleyway not far from her apartment." At those words gasps of disbelief escaped a few of the people in the room and Quinn sat forward in her seat as he got to the important part of the story.

"It was a warning shot at me. Whoever did it wanted me to know that they wanted my money and would do anything to get it. They thought Alyson was close to me so they killed her," Quinn sighed, eyes tearing up with guilt at the memory, at the thought of the innocent young women who lost her life for no other reason than her association to Quinn. "That's why I play this role, so I can protect my personal life. So I can protect my family," she stated sitting back in her seat and leaning in close to her wife and daughter.

"And because of me," Rachel spoke up and Quinn's head whipped to the side, eyes wide as she regarded Rachel. Her wife rarely ever spoke about her real reason for wanting to stay out of the limelight because it brought up difficult memories that the brunette tried hard to suppress. Quinn was weary of her wife sharing this part of her with the club, purely because she didn't want her wife to make a rash decision she would regret later. But if Rachel wanted to open up, Quinn supported her.

"What happened in Afghanistan, it affected me a lot more than I thought it did, and I didn't realise it until I first attempted to step into Quinn's world," Rachel explained, her hand gently holding her daughters in its grasp to keep herself grounded and centred as she tried not to think too much about the fact that all eyes were on her. "We um, we were meeting up for a lunch date," Rachel recalled, her voice wavering as the memories flooded to the forefront of her mind.

"The paparazzi were lurking around and as soon as Quinn stepped out of the restaurant to come meet me, that's when things changed," Rachel said, breathing heavily through her nose as the panic she felt that day settled with her chest, restricting her natural breathing pattern. Quinn could see and feel her wife trembling, so with one look in her wife's eye, Rachel nodded her consent for Quinn to finish the story.

"Rachel has struggled with PTSD since coming back and it sometimes flares up at what we would consider to be a simple thing," Quinn explained as she removed her arm from around Rachel's shoulder and instead rested it on her wife's thigh so she could rub soothing circles to calm the brunette down. Puck didn't miss the interactions between the two, having watched them carefully since they arrived. He could tell that Quinn was good for Rachel, and that's all he ever wanted for his surrogate sister.

"A slamming door, the flash of a camera," Quinn said laughing bitterly. She had never hated the paparazzi more than she did that day. "When I came out of the restaurant to meet Rach, the entire street lit up like Christmas. There were cameras everywhere and Rach, she just, it was too much. I had to get my damn driver to take her away from everything. I couldn't even check if she was okay, I had to stand there and keep the attention on me so she could get away."

The former glee clubbers didn't miss the way Quinn's jaw set at the memory, and a few of them guessed that Quinn was the type who was very protective of the things, or in this case people, who mattered most to her. It seemed to settle the anxiousness some of them felt over the blondes presence in Rachel's life. Sure it had been a while since they had heard from their fellow classmate, but at the end of the day the glee club were a family and they looked out for one another, they just wanted the best for Rachel. Though from the looks of a few faces it was going to take more than one conversation. Santana looked like she was about to interject when Rachel finally spoke up after calming down.

"That's why nobody knows about me, or that Quinn's married, and especially not about Peyton," Rachel said, glancing down at the baby in her arms. Puck sat up straighter at the reveal of the baby's name and stared straight at Rachel. "Peyton, as in..." he said trailing off at the end as Rachel looked up at him at nodded with a smile on her face. "Yeah, after Peyton Jeffries."

Puck's lips quirked into a soft smile, before fading completely, and tipped his head in acknowledgement of the little girls' name sake. A few of the glee clubbers exchanged questioning looks and Mercedes glanced between both Puck and Rachel with a furrowed brow hoping for an explanation. When none was forthcoming, she decided to just ask instead.

"Who's Peyton Jeffries?" she asked. Rachel was about to answer when Puck jumped in. "He was a member of our squadron back in Afghan. He was like the fun big brother who kept everyone out of trouble," Puck remembered with a fond smile. "What happened to him?" Sam asked over his shoulder, this time Rachel spoke up.

"He was killed by a bomb attack just outside base camp. He saved my life," Rachel sniffled as she wiped a tear that had fallen down her cheek. At that everything went silent. Rachel leaned into Quinn who wrapped her arms securely around her wife and pressed a soothing kiss to her temple. While everyone else absorbed everything they had just heard Brittany decided to quell her own curiosity.

"So do you guys have any cool battle scars like Action Man?" she asked looking at both Rachel and Puck. Quinn glared at the insensitivity of the question. "Are you kidding me right now? she said and just as she was squaring her shoulders preparing to defend her wife, Santana jumped to the blondes defence. "Hey back off Bruce Wayne, she was just asking a question she didn't mean anything by it," the Latina fired back, which just further amped up Quinn.

"Two people face serious combat to protect their country, risking their lives and all she's concerned about is whether or not they've got some cool scars to show off!" Quinn shouted back. Before either woman could continue their verbal smack down, Rachel wrapped her hand around Quinn's wrist and tugged on it to grab her attention.

"Quinn, it's okay, she's not being insensitive. That's Brittany," Rachel said, the name being all the explanation Quinn needed having heard all about the glee kids over the years. Taking a step back she sat down and then accepted Peyton into her arms as her wife passes her over. Once Rachel's arms were free, she reached down and rolled up her right trouser leg, exposing her titanium prosthetic.

"I have many scars from combat, but this," she said pointing to her leg, "this is the only one the world can see." Brittany whispered something to Santana about being part robot, but the raven haired woman just kept gazing at the leg, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. She had always thought Rachel was crazy for joining the army and had even tried to talk her out of it. Seeing the damage it had caused made her wish she had tried harder.

"So now you know everything. All that we ask is that you please, keep this to yourselves. If this got out it would change everything and I can't deal with that," she pleaded. Everyone glanced around at each other silently communicating their intentions. Before they shared their thoughts Blaine spoke up having one last question he needed answered before any decision was made.

"So why the different leading woman every other night. Why play the role of a womaniser can't you just pretend to be single?" He asked, and Quinn understood where he was coming from. "Because a different face every night keeps people's attention focused elsewhere at all times. If I were to remain single people would start digging and I can't risk putting my family at risk like that. There are people out there who want me dead, who will do anything to get at me and my money including hurting the people I love. If I have to play this part to keep my family safe then that's what I have to do. I don't do it because I enjoy it. I do it because I will do anything to keep my family out of harms way."

"That's good enough for me," Will said finally speaking up having kept quite throughout the entire exchange. "Glee club is a family, and Quinn's a part of that family now. So we're going to respect their privacy and do as they ask." Everyone nodded their agreement, Santana rather reluctantly, and Finn just kept quiet. He wasn't sure what to make of it all. He had always had a thing for the brunette, it was hard for him to see that she had settled down and moved on without him.

"Okay, I think we'll call it a day. I'll see you all tomorrow," Will said as he gathered up the sheet music from earlier and began tidying it away. One by one the gleeks left the room, leaving just Rachel, Quinn and Peyton behind. Quinn stood up with Peyton in her arms and grabbed the baby carrier from off the piano handing it to Rachel who grabbed a hold of it as they walked of the room. Quinn cradled Peyton in one arm as she laced her free hand with her wife's as they walked down the corridor and out the main doors to the parking lot where the blonde had parked the rental car.

"Thank you for today. It means a lot to me that you would put yourself out there for me," Rachel said in a warm sincere time. Quinn stopped next to the car and faced her wife, freeing her hand and bringing it up to cup a tanned cheek in the palm of her hand as she brought their lips together. Once they parted she rested her forehead against her wife's and gazed into her eyes.

"Remember in my vows how I said I would do anything and everything to make you happy, I meant it," she said, her lips ghosting against Rachel's. "I love you. The happiness of you and Peyton is the most important thing to me and I will do anything and everything to make sure that you guys have that." Rachel leaned up on her tip toes and reconnected their lips, kissing Quinn with as much passion as she could muster up.

"I love you too, so much," she replied. "I uh, I can't with until I can show you just how much," she said with a flirtatious glint in her eye. Quinn swallowed thickly at the implication of those words, her dick physically pulsing just at the thought of being deep inside her wife again. "Believe me, you don't know how much I want that." Rachel giggled as she arched Quinn turn to the car to set Peyton in the car seat and then they both climbed in.

"So when's your doctors' appointment?" Quinn asked as she turned on the ignition, put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot. Rachel mentally counted up the time in her head. "Um, five or six weeks I think," she said and Quinn nodded as she pulled out of the school onto the main road. "Not to sound crass but, how is everything down there, is the cream working," Quinn asked genuinely concerned.

"Yes thank God. You know they prepare you for a lot of things after childbirth but the reconstruction process of the downstairs department, I'm pretty sure they only gave me the footnotes on that one." Quinn chuckled in sympathy as she reached across lacing her hand with her wife's and bringing it to her lips kissing it before resting their joint hands in the armrest between them.

"You do know that it's going to be different right? I mean that sex isn't going to be like it was before. I just, I don't want you to be disappointed," Rachel said. Quinn glanced at her briefly before turning her attention back in the road, giving the hand in hers a reassuring squeeze as she resettled herself in the car seat.

"Rach, of course I know. Did you not see me reading all those books?" She said with a slight laugh, but when it failed to provoke a smile, she changed tactic. "Look Rach, I know when we get, physical, again that it's gonna feel different. But I don't care okay. It's not the sex that feels good, it's the fact that it's with you, the woman I love more than anything. So don't worry about it because I promise you, it will always be better than good, it'll be amazing."

When Quinn finished speaking, Rachel leaned across the armrest and pressed a kiss to a pale cheek and then settled back in her seat. Feeling more than content that things in their intimate life would be fine. As they drove they home they basked in the soft gentle grunts and other little noises coming from Peyton who reminded them of the important things in life, family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Sorry for the delay. This chapter was intended to be longer, but because the second part of it deals with Rachel's experiences in Afghan, I broke this chapter in two. So here's some fluffy Faberry.**

**This chapter is rated M for sexual content.**

Gazing across the living room, hazel eyes landed upon the sleeping form of an exhausted brunette, curled up on the couch after being up most of the night with an unsettled baby. Quinn couldn't help but think how peaceful Rachel looked when she slept and for those few moments she could almost fool herself into believing that the peaceful sleeping face was untainted by the harsh realities of the world they lived in.

But it wasn't. Rachel had seen things that no human being should ever have to bear witness to. She had survived unimaginable pain, physical, emotional and mental. In Quinn's eyes her wife epitomised the true strength of the human spirit because Rachel had literally been to hell and back and she was still standing.

For the longest time Quinn had wondered what her purpose in life was, what it was she was supposed to do. Was it it carry on the Fabray family name? Was it to rebrand Fabray Enterprises and take it to all new heights of power and success? Was it to use her own power and wealth to carry on the family's charitable history? The answer was none of the above. Because Quinn had done all of those things and still felt empty, like she was missing the bigger picture.

Then Rachel came along and Quinn realised what her purpose was, her purpose was to love that woman who came into her life in the most unexpected of ways. Her purpose was to rebuild the broken women and to prove to her that she was worth so much more than she believed herself to be. Her purpose was to create a family that both she and Rachel could love and feel safe in. Where they could both find shelter to weather any storms and to have the support they needed to fly when they needed to spread their wings.

And gazing at her wife Quinn smiled because she finally felt like she was serving her purpose to the best of her ability. She had a wife she loved more than anything, and a daughter who was more precious to her than any gem. As far as Quinn was concerned, money was just a number, when she held her family in her arms, she was wealthier than any man or woman could ever hope to be.

As quietly as possible, Quinn tiptoed over to the travel cot that was set up next to the threshold between the living room and the dining room. The blonde smiled as she gazed at her daughter who was curled up caught between wakefulness and sleep. Reaching down into the cot, Quinn carefully lifted the little baby up into her arms, Peyton resting snugly against her chest with her head resting in the crook of her mothers' neck beneath her chin.

"Hey pretty lady," Quinn cooed as she rubbed soothing circles on Peyton's back as she walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. It was feeding time soon and the blonde decided to take this turn so her wife could nap a little while longer. It also allowed Quinn to have some one on one quality time with Peyton, something she'd had plenty of time to do now that she was away from home and her various work commitments.

The soft little grunting sounds that Peyton emitted melted Quinn's heart. Everything the tiny tot did was adorable to Quinn, just her entire existence awakened a level of love in Quinn she didn't know existed. The blonde never knew it was possible to love someone more than anything else in the world, to the point you would lay down your own life for them. Rachel had described the exact same feeling the night Peyton was born. Obviously both women loved each other just as much, but that was a different kind of love compared to what they felt for their child. It was just as strong but unless you were a parent you couldn't really understand the difference.

The love they felt for their daughter was unconditional and infinite. They created this human being, both their DNA ran through Peyton's veins. She was there's to love and protect and they would do everything in their power to do just that. Stepping into the kitchen, Quinn took a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast nook and picked up the bottle of expressed breast milk she had set out before retrieving her daughter and settled Peyton into a cradle position and watched as the little girl latched on.

"Good girl," Quinn softly whispered as she sat back against the backrest of the stool and study every little detail of her daughters tiny facial features. It was one of Quinn's favourite things to do. Whenever she needed a moment to just relax or to shut off her brain, she would sit by Peyton's crib or wherever she happened to be sleeping and just watched her. Seeing her daughter at peace just seemed to settle something inside Quinn and for those few moments reminded her there were more important things in the world than whatever happened to be bothering her at time.

And Rachel, God, she was just amazing with their daughter. Quinn had honestly never seen someone take to anything so naturally. She couldn't have asked for anyone better to raise a child with. Quinn suspected it had a lot to do with the fact Rachel never knew her own parents and the fact she missed out on having any while she was growing up. It seemed it have instilled a need to want to be the best parent she could be. To want Peyton to have a mother who was always present and could be whatever she needed her to be.

Much like pager wife, Quinn also had her own reasons for wanting to be the best mother she could be for her daughter. She never wanted Peyton to grow up feeling judged or to feel like she didn't belong. Quinn wanted her daughter to grow up knowing that no matter what, Peyton would always be supported and loved, regardless of who she chose to love or what she chose to do with her life. She would never know the prejudice or hardship either if her parents faced. Though she would grow up to understand how fortunate she was and to be compassionate towards people who weren't so well off.

"Guess what baby, you're a week old today," Quinn spoke quietly as a soft smile passed her lips, " and I can honestly say it's been the best week of my life." Peyton gurgled around the nipple of the bottle and then settled again, the only sounds being the suckling noise of the little girl drawing milk from the bottle filling the room. "I still remember the day we found out you were going to be joining us in the world. It was the best feeling ever."

_9 Months Ago…._

Quinn was exhausted. Scratch that exhausted didn't even remotely cover it. She was completely drained, on top of that she had been feeling more stressed out in the last week than she had in her life. The merger was driving her to distraction, never had she worked with a business associate so mind numbingly frustrating. The only positive was,mince the merger was complete she could shift him off to the people within her company who would be responsible for handling all the affairs between the two.

Climbing out of her town car, she trudged up the steps and inside the house, clearly content to just sit back and relax for the rest of the evening. Cuddling with Rachel in a hot bath followed by a nice hot meal seemed like heaven at the moment. Greeting Sofia. She handed her her coat and briefcase and then made her way to the living room where Her wife could usually be found in the evenings reading a good book.

Passing by the various other rooms as she walked down the hallway she stopped outside the double doors of the living room and peaked inside, but it was empty. Frowning Quinn turned on her heel and made her way back to the staircase at the back of the house and went upstairs following the familiar path to the master bedroom. Opening the door she peered inside and found the room was also empty, and then her gaze floated towards the en suite and then she heard the soft soothing sound of her wife's melodic voice and she knew she had found her safe haven.

Moving across the room, she pushed the door over and stepped inside to find her wife sitting in the edge of the bath checking the temperature of the water. The edge was surrounded by small candles flickering in the dimly lit room as the scent of bubble bath water through the air instantly calming a worked up Quinn. While she was taking in the scene Rachel turned and glanced up at her wife, smiling as she stood up and made her way across the room.

"Hey you," Rachel grinned as she came to a stop in front of her wife, wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her down into a welcome home kiss. Quinn smiled as she felt her favourite lips kiss her in greeting and she brought her arms up to wrap around a slender waist. When they pulled apart Quinn reached up a hand and brushed some stray locks out of the way of brown eyes.

"Hey back," she responded before eyeing the bubble bath beside them, "what's this in aid of?" She asked as she focused her attention back on her wife. Rachel just shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno, you just sounded stressed when we talked on the phone earlier, I figured the least I could do was draw you a bath. The kitchen are putting dinner together as we speak so food should be ready by the time you're down." Quinn couldn't contain her smile as she ducked her head and then glanced back up.

"You're amazing you know that," Quinn stated, flexing her arms to squeeze Rachel tighter against her. Rachel tipped her head in a yes motion, a smug grin on her face. "I know, but I like being reminded every now and again." The comment made Quinn chuckle and she pecked Rachel on the lips once more before repeating her earlier sentiment. "You, are, amazing. C'mon, join me, I could use some cuddle time."

"Well how can I ever resist an offer like that?" Rachel sighed as she leaned up and pressed her lips to her wife's once more who responded in kind and then they both unwrapped their arms from around one another and began to undress helping each other along the way. Once completely free of their clothes, Rachel sat on the edge of the bath, removed her leg and after Quinn had settled in she climbed in after her and snuggled up beside her.

The bath tub was huge, it was more like a jacuzzi with massage jets and soft padded spots around the edges that made it more comfortable to rest in. When Rachel snuggled into her wife's side, Quinn whined playfully and pulled Rachel around to sit against her front so she could wrap her arms around her wife and hold her against her. Once Rachel was settled Quinn could feel the tension beginning to leave her body as she tucked her chin in crook of a tanned neck and placed soft feather light kisses behind her wife's ear.

"This feels so good," Quinn sighed, a groan escaping her as one of the jets pumped against a knot in her back giving her a feeling of relief. Relaxing in the bath in her wife was definitely in Quinn's top five favourite things to do. Along with cuddling in bed, sex, midnight strolls through the garden to stargaze and trips to Quinn's private island estate in Hawaii where they more than enjoyed their alone time.

"I would ask how your day was but I'm guessing you'd rather just forget about it," Rachel chuckled as she laced her fingers with Quinn's on the hand that was resting against her stomach, relishing in the feeling of her wife peppering her skin with kisses. It had become almost a ritual of Quinn's to kiss any visible scars of Rachel's in an attempt to erase the bad memories and replace them with good ones. It would never work completely and they both knew it but Rachel appreciated Quinn's attempts.

"And you would be right. The merger with our environmental department is just taking a little longer than expected, it'll be over soon," Quinn said as she rested her chin on her wife's shoulder. "What about you, how was your day?" She asked as her eyes watched Rachel draw lazy patterns on her thigh, teasingly raisin higher and higher knowing the effect it had on Quinn. "Really good, I finally got all the prints down for the article, I emailed them to Bianca today."

After getting back on her feet, and with Quinn's encouragement and support, Rachel decided to find a new career path since her time in the army was over. While she loved singing she couldn't deal with being in front of the public, so she took advantage of another passion of hers, photography, a passion that she was incredibly skilled at. Three years ago Rachel ventured into the world of photo journalism and never looked back.

Her talent caught the eye of some very important people and she was currently working for National Geographic and loving every moment of it. Her job allowed her to travel to some amazing places, whether it was up in the Rockies of Colorado or deep in the outback on safari in Africa. She had found a career she was passionate about and the fact she got to share it with Quinn made it all the more enjoyable.

"That's great, can I see the finished product?" Quinn asked,she already seem the article at various stages but she always made it a point to see the end result. She was very much aware of the fact that with her power and wealth, she was the main breadwinner and primary caretaker, but the last thing she ever wanted was for her wife to feel inferior or to feel like her career was insignificant when compared to the sheer size and volume of Quinn's. In the Fabray house they were equals in work and in life. Rachel's job would never come second to anything to do with Fabray enterprises.

"I downloaded a PDF onto my iPad I can show you over dinner if you want?" Rachel suggested and Quinn hummed in agreement. Rachel turned around and pressed her lips to Quinn's causing the blonde to push away from the edge of the bath and into the centre. Rachel turned around completely and straddled her wife's lap, her left leg wrapping around the blondes waist as her stump rested on her wife's thigh where Quinn rested her hand, stroking the skin beneath her hand as they kissed passionately. As things started getting heated and they felt their arousal beginning to kick in, Rachel attempted to pull her lips away.

"Mmm, m-maybe, maybe," she mumbled as Quinn continued to attack her lips until Rachel finally managed to separate them by placing her hands against her wife's chest and pushing her back. "Maybe we should pick this up after dinner," Rachel panted out as she tried to catch her breath. Quinn groaned and rested her forehead against her wife's chest, trying to calm herself to rid of her semi hard on before reluctantly nodding.

"Okay, but we WILL be picking this up after dinner," Quinn stated with a firm look, her eyes failing to conceal her desire. Rachel giggled but leaned in and kissed her wife deeply and then gazed unto her eyes. "It's a promise." With the little willpower they had left, the two women climbed out of the bath tub and towelled themselves off before Quinn surprised her wife by picking her up bridal style and carrying her back into the bedroom rather leaving her to reattach her limb.

Rachel released a laugh as her wife threw her into the bed and then grabbed clothes for them both out of their drawers, the blonde deciding that sweatpants and t-shirts were sufficient enough for the lazy evening they had in mind. Tossing the clothes to her wife, Quinn went about getting changed, pulling on a pair of black Calvin Klein boxer shirts before pulling on her sweatpants and t-shirt. By the time she was done Rachel had just finished attaching her leg and was pulling on her own pants, unlike her wife she was forgoing underwear.

"Ready M'lady?" Quinn asked offering out her hand which Rachel gladly took as she was gently pulled to her feet. Making their way down stairs they both happily greeted their butler Charles who informed them dinner was ready for them in the kitchen and that the kitchen staff had retired for the night to which Quinn thanked him and laced her hand with her wife's and lead them to the kitchen.

As they were told, once they were arrived in the kitchen the food was all prepared and laid out for them including desert which was sitting in the fridge. Taking their seats at the table the girls tucked into their food and chatted away happily about random things they'd heard or seen. Quinn informed her wife that Cassie was stopping around at the weekend for catch up drinks and would probably be joined by Holly.

Cassie and Quinn were friends from childhood and knew each other's deepest darkest secrets. Cassie had been like the sister Quinn always wanted and they were incredibly close growing up, the other blonde was someone Quinn could trust and often helped her carry out her double life. She had also been present as a witness to Quinn's wedding to Rachel. Holly was another close friends Quinn had met in high school. Holly was a little wacky, like the Phoebe Buffay of the group but she always had the best of intentions.

Quinn loved both women dearly as if it hadn't been for them she probably wouldn't have made it to where she was today. They kept her feet on the ground and reminded her of her purpose in life away from the materialistic lifestyle she could have probably grown into without the. They were basically the only real people in her life until Rachel came along. The fact that Rachel got on so well with them warmed her heart.

Upon finishing dessert, the women retired to their living room where a fire was blazing in the big open fireplace. Grabbing some pillows and the throw off the back of the couch, the girls lay them out on the floor in front of the open flame and lay back. The roof above their head was made of glass, allowing for them to stargaze from inside. Once Quinn lay down Rachel snuggled into her and rested her head on her shoulder, both content to lay there.

"You know sometimes I wish I didn't bear the title of CEO. Maybe then my life would be simpler," Quinn signed as she ran her fingers through brown locks of hair. Rachel pressed a kiss to the underside of her wife's jaw and rested a hand against her chest. "Well, why don't you change it then, the title I mean," Rachel suggested and Quinn huffed out a laugh.

"Oh yeah, to what? Secretary?" Quinn joked as she scratched an itch above her lip and settled her hand down to rest on top of her wife's on her chest. Rachel turned the hand over hers around and held it in the palm of her hand and lowering it to her stomach. "I was thinking more like, Mom," Rachel said as she rested her wife's hand against her lower stomach.

Quinn's eyes widened when Rachel settled her hand over stomach. She momentarily forgot to breath until her brain caught up with her and she sat up on her elbow so she was gazing down at her wife, her hand still resting on the brunettes stomach. "A-are you, are you pregnant?" She asked, her voice soft and quiet, as afraid if she said it any louder it would somehow burst the bubble she was in. Rachel gazed up at her with year filled eyes and nodded her head.

"Yeah. We're having a baby," she replied and watched as her wife's face morphed into a beaming smile before she swooped up into a tight embrace. Quinn pulled back and pressed her lips to Rachel's, kissing her with everything she had as her heart literally burst it was so full. Tears of joy began to fall from both girls eyes as they embraced again and Quinn pressed her lips to her wife's ear.

"I love you so much," she whispered before pressing a kiss there. Rachel released a joyful sob and then said, "I love you too." When they women finally disengaged their embrace, Quinn placed both her hands over her wife's tummy and smiled down at their baby's home. Knowing she would soon be a parent, that they would have a family of their own was the best feeling in the world.

Gazing into each others eyes, Rachel leaned forward and kissed Quinn and the blonde kissed her back with such love. Hands began to fumble with articles of clothing as they were removed. Once Rachel's clothes were removed Quinn helped her out of her prosthetic knowing she hated being intimate with it on and carefully placed it aside. As the brunette lay back down against the pillows Quinn pulled down her boxers allowing her dick to spring free from its confinements, already standing to attention and ready for action.

Kicking the black material aside, Quinn gently positioned herself between her wife's legs and caressed every inch of skin as they reconnected their lips. Quinn and Rachel both emitted moans of pleasure as Quinn's cock grazed against Rachel's wetness, teasing them both, giving them a preview of what was to come. Rachel caressed the fine hairs on the back of her wife's neck as Quinn fondle a breast with one hand and sucked on the nipple of the other.

When she pulled away, hazel eyes met brown, and with one nod of the head from Rachel, Quinn laced one of their hands together over her wife's head and with the other, she reached down and lined herself up with Rachel's entrance. Before penetrating her, she rubbed her fingers against her wife's wetness to gather some moisture and rubbed it in her dick for lubrication and once she was done, she grabbed it by the base and eased her way inside her wife's tight channel.

"Oh God," Quinn groaned, feeling completely overwhelmed by the feeling of arousal of being inside her wife, and the feeling of overwhelming joy about the fact she would soon have a child. Rachel gasped at the feeling of her wife being buried deep inside her. No matter how many times they made love, she would never get over the feeling of being filled so completely. Neither woman moved for a moment, just basking in the feeling of being connected so intimately. After one more kiss, Quinn slowly began to rock her hips, thrusting in and out of her wife not wanting the moment to end too soon.

As Quinn's rhythm picked up, Rachel wrapped her arms tight around her wife and held her close as Quinn rested hers on the brunettes sides, caressing soft skin as she found Rachel lips again and kissed her, her tongue seeking entrance which was granted immediately. Rachel moaned into her wife's ear as she felt that all too familiar pull in the pit of her stomach, her hips beginning to jut and spasm and her back arch off the ground.

"Quinn, Quinn I'm gonna cum. I'm gonna...AGHHHHHH," Rachel screamed as Quinn held her tight, helping her to ride through her orgasm. When the blonde felt her wife choke her dick for all it was worth, she couldn't hold back any longer, burying her face in Rachel's neck, she let go and emptied her seed inside her wife. Her back arching and hips jerking as the intensity of it spread through her.

"Ugh, Rach," Quinn groaned, sweat dripping down her brow as pressed her lips against an equally sweaty neck. When she finally finished, Quinn collapsed on top of her wife, mindful of her stomach nuzzled her nose against Rachel's neck. Rachel turned her head and kissed her wife on the lips and them shuddered at the feeling of Quinn pulling out of her and the feeling of their combined juices coating her skin.

Quinn leaned down and pressed her lips against Rachel's stomach, smiling as she rested her forehead there. "I love you baby," she whispered before placing one more kiss there and coming back up to lay next to her wife, the brunette instantly snuggling into her side. Grabbing the throw they had grabbed earlier from the back of the couch she wrapped it around them and then pressed her lips to her wife's forehead and rested her hand over her baby's home. For the first time, feeling truly content and at peace with her life.

_Present Day…._

Quinn locked eyes with her daughter and then leaned down pressing her lips to a tiny forehead and inhaled the sweet scent of baby powder and innocence. The sound of a little gurgle alerted her that Peyton was done feeding and she pulled the bottle away and placed it on the table. After burping her daughter and cleaning her up, Quinn carried her back into the living room and placed her down in her cot so she could sleep peacefully with her Mama.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, thanks for the reviews and fellows. So here's the second part of the previous chapter. I hope you like it. Again sorry about any typos, the keypad on my laptop is missing letters (baby cousin drama, don't ask) so I have to type up the chapters on my iPad and let's just say sometimes me and autocorrect don't see eye to eye. Anyways hope you enjoy and please, leave a review, I love hearing what you think.**

_She could feel the sweltering heat engulfing them as they trudged along the dried up desert land that seemed to go on for miles. The weight of her uniform always felt like it was made of heavy steel whenever they were forced out into the blistering hot sun to move onto their next location. If it weren't for the fact the uniforms served the purpose of protecting them she would have stripped down to just her bra so her skin could breath for just a second. But unfortunately she didn't have the luxury of doing such things. They were on a mission._

_Rachel glanced around at her comrades, all of them kitted out in camouflage gear with heavy padded bulletproof vests, helmets with their nicknames etched across the front like something out of Top Gun, heavy backpacks on their backs carrying the bare essentials and of course, extra ammunition. Add to that the standard M16 rifle most of them were carrying and they had some serious weight to haul in the unrelenting heat._

_But this was what they had trained for. Army boot camp had been unforgiving and at times excruciating but compared to being on the front lines, it was practically a cake walk. Rachel had been in the army for close to 5 years and had been on active duty most of it. For many the thought of being away from home for so long to fight in a war was crazy, but for Rachel it was pure logic._

_She didn't have a family waiting at home for her, no relatives or other commitments, she was out on her own. Sure she had friends from high school, Puck being like a brother to her as they had both enlisted at the same time, but maintaining friendships while so far away from home was difficult. Whenever Rachel retuned she felt like an outsider and that everyone had moved on with their lives without her. But it wasn't anybody's fault, it was just a part of life. Her friends from school tried to keep in touch, but they had their own lives to lead too._

_Everything Rachel had in life could be found within the walls of her small apartment in New York. Some clothes, some music and a couple of photos from high school. That was it. No sentimental objects, no close companions. Her whole life she had been alone and little had changed over the course of her existence. But that was exactly what made her such a fearless soldier. The fact that Rachel had nothing or no one to return to made her all the more determined to protect those who did._

_Often she would put her body on the line to save the life of a soldier who had a husband or a wife and kids who needed them back home, or who had an unborn child on the way who had yet to meet their father, or even a young man or woman who had a bride or groom waiting at home for the day they could be married. Time and again Rachel put her life on the line so that those who did have someone or something waiting at home, had the chance to make it back alive._

_Rachel's whole life was the army. They were her family, her friends, her purpose in life, they had her back and she theirs. Side by side they fought, a band of brothers and sisters all in it for the one cause, to protect their homeland and it's people, and to restore order within Afghanistan so that it's people could find peace again. So they fought and they fought, losing comrades along the way but never giving up the fight._

_For close to a month now Rachel had seen action on the front lines, and now they returning to base camp for a breather having traded places with another unit. She hoped to see Puck when she got back though she was more then prepared for the fact that there was a chance his unit got sent out somewhere while she was gone. But still she hoped. As they continued their trek, Peyton the unit leader, named after his fathers favourite quarterback Peyton Manning, fell into step next to the brunette._

_"I can wait to get back to back to base, crack open a beer and get out of this damn heat," he whined, removing one hand from his rifle and rubbing it against the back of a sweaty neck. Rachel chuckled and gazed up at him from under the peak of her helmet, her aviators sitting pretty on the bridge of her nose blocking out the sun. "How do you know there's gonna be beer on base?" She asked as she shoulder her own rifle and grabbed her canister, taking a healthy sip before tucking it away again and retrieving her rifle._

_"Me and two of the boys put in a request before we left. Got word the other day that supplies had arrived," he responded with a smug grin as he playfully threw an arm around his fellow soldiers shoulder. The duo kept up their easy going banter as they continued their trek, the only other sounds around them coming from their fellow unit soldiers and the tank that was trailing behind keeping watch. They were within touching distance of one of the last camp check points en route to base when everything changed completely._

_"WE'RE BEING AMBUSHED!" came the cry of Rick from the back of the pack as he pointed towards the oncoming jeeps carrying soldiers from the opposition. Peyton glanced once then turned towards the check point and back again to his unit. "EVERYBODY FIND COVER!" He ordered soldiers made a run for the barricades and tents of the camp taking cover as they loaded up their weapons and opened fire. Rachel, Peyton and two other soldiers dodged flying bullets as they took up position behind the tank in the hopes of slowing the oncoming attack just enough for the others to ready their weapons._

_Rachel took aim at one of the jeeps that was speeding towards, just about managing to take out the guy behind the machine gun while took out the two front wheels causing it to veer uncontrollably until it hit a bump and flipped. The tank fired shots one after the other and Rachel and the other soldiers continued their assault and breathed a short sigh of relief when the soldiers taking cover in the camp finally started to open fire._

_"DO YOU THINK WE CAN HOLD THEM OFF?" She shouted over the noise at Peyton who was reloading his weapon. Once he retook his position Rachel fell back and reloaded hers before continuing open fire. "WE'RE TOO CLOSE TO BASE CAMP NOT TOO. BACK UP SHOULD BE HERE SOON, WE JUST NEED TO HOLD OUT," Peyton shouted back and just as the last word left his mouth, a helicopter flew overhead raining down bullets on the enemy._

_As Rachel and one of the other soldiers reloaded, Peyton and Rick caught sight of something that could only mean one thing, for some of them, it was officially game over. Just as he was about to shout an order to Rachel, the brunette stumbled back and fell as she took a hit to the leg and then one to the abdomen. The second was a clean straight through shot but she looked to be in agony. With no other choice, Peyton reached down and picked her up bridal style. Calling on his other soldiers he told them to run and as they did, the opposition sent a missile firing straight at the tank._

_Rachel wasn't sure what happened next, but she remembered blistering heat and a plume of smoke billowing up into the air just as she hit the ground with a thump. The last thing she remembered was Peyton's eyes gazing down at her before they closed and he slumped forward unmoving. At that moment the blackness crept in and she was out._

Shooting up off the couch, Rachel inhaled a gasp of air, her lungs burning and sweating dripping down her forehead as she absentmindedly gazed around not really taking anything in. Before she knew what was going on a vision of blonde hair swept across her line of sight and eventually a pair of hazel eyes came into view, the only thing helping her to hold focus as she worked through her anxiety.

"Rachel, Rach," Quinn softly called as she stroked her wife's upper arms in a bid to keep her calm. The blonde was perched upon the edge of the couch where her wife had been sleeping. When Rachel was finally aware of her surroundings she lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Quinn's neck as the tears began to fall. Quinn instantly pulled her flush against her and wrapped her up and held her close, softly whispering soothing words into the brunettes ear.

Feeling the laboured breaths her wife was taking, Quinn knew that Rachel's anxiety was acting up and that she needed an aid help the process along. Reluctantly pulling away, she combed her fingers through dark locks and whispered that she would be right back before heading for the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, she opened what they had designated the medicine cupboard and removed the bottle of pills, taking two out before putting the bottle away and returning to the living and sat back down beside her wife.

"Here," Quinn said as she offered up the pills in the palm of her hand and watched as Rachel reluctantly took them and popped them in her mouth washing them down with some water. Rachel hated taking the pills because she saw it as a sign of weakness. She didn't want to be dependent on something like that to cope when things got tough. But her therapist had assured her that it was okay to need a little extra help sometimes and that it wouldn't be forever.

In fact over the years, with all the good things that had come into her life, Quinn, Peyton, her job, the episodes had become less and less. Slowly but surely she was getting better, or at the very least, learning how to cope so that it didn't hinder her quality of life. Quinn for her part had been an exceptional tower of strength. She never forced Rachel to do things she didn't want to, in fact the only time Quinn ever encouraged or forced Rachel to take one of her pills was when things got to be too much and the brunette literally couldn't catch her breath.

Other than that Quinn was simply there to support her wife with whatever she felt comfortable with. She always made sure that Rachel knew she was there for her and to remind her of the good things in her life. It was no secret that the former soldier had struggled with depression upon returning home and her therapist had even suggested it was something she had probably suffered from right throughout her childhood. But since meeting Quinn things had been good, amazing even, and Quinn knew Rachel was fearful of slipping back into that state of mind now that they had a family of their own. Which was exactly why Quinn was always present and never allowed her work to come before her wife.

"You're okay," Quinn said as she wrapped an arm around her wife's shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to a sweat drenched temple before nuzzling her nose there. Rachel was physically trembling, no matter how many years passed, that memory would always reduce her to a nervous, terrified wreck. The memory of not knowing whether she was going to live or die. Of looking into the eyes of a man she considered a brother as the life left his body. They say war changes a person, well, it's easy to say it but it's another thing completely to live it.

"I'm sorry," Rachel cried as a sob escaped her and she raised a hand to cover her face as tears spilled down her cheeks. Quinn frowned and unwrapped her arm from around her wife so she could use both hands to cup the brunettes face in her palms so they were looking one another in the eye. "Don't, don't you dare apologise. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for you hear me?".

Glancing over her shoulder to check that Peyton was still sleeping soundly, Quinn noticed that she was and then, as smoothly as possible, she wrapped her arms around her wife and laid them both down on the couch. With Rachel tucked securely against the back of the couch and her head resting on the blondes shoulder, Quinn slipped her free hand under the hem of her wife's top and rubbed soothing circles against smooth skin. Much like she used to do when Rachel was pregnant and Peyton was being particularly active.

"I was back there," Rachel mumbled as she wiped another tear from her face. Quinn frowned a little confused as to where this was going until Rachel continued to speak and then she knew exactly what her wife was talking about. "In Afghan. It w- it was during the attack. It was so real, so v-vivid. It's always so vivid. The smells, the noises, t-the p-pain." At those words Rachel choked back a sob and Quinn, well she just tried her hardest not to cry.

Over the years Rachel had shared more and more of her story until one day Quinn knew every little thing there was to know. Every little morsel of information in graphic, uncensored detail. To say Quinn had been stunned would be an understatement. Sure she had heard horror stories from the rehab centre and from other vets over the years, but it never really affected her as much as it did when she finally found she had an emotional attachment to it. Hearing what Rachel went through, the woman she loved so deeply, it tore at Quinn's heart leaving behind little tiny scars.

Quinn had met her wife after most of her medical healing was done, though she still witnessed elements of pain that lingered for the brunette months after the initial attack. Because of this, she could only imagine what it had been like for Rachel to have been without proper medical aid or pain relief for a considerable amount of time. But while the physical pain eventually evaporated, the emotional pain of watching fellow soldiers fall on the front line would always remain. The thought made Quinn hug her wife just that little tighter to her body.

"I can still see their faces, his face. It was the last time I ever saw him," Rachel whimpered as her brain conjured up a clear visual of Peyton Jeffries face. At that Quinn allowed her own tears to fall. She hated the fact that she was crying when all she wanted was to be strong for her wife, but it wasn't the first time she had done it. In fact Quinn had cried many times in Rachel's presence, often after hearing her war stories. If it bothered Rachel the brunette never let on. She was used to having her wife cry with her and for her.

"I'm sorry you ever had to go through that," Quinn mumbled against her wife's forehead before placing a loving, comforting kiss there. Rachel burrowed further into her wife's hold and just shook her head. "I don't know why you're sorry, it's not like it's your fault," Rachel stated as she played with the chain around Quinn's neck. A simple silver pendent with a love heart and both Rachel and Peyton's names inscribed on it and the date of their wedding on the back.

"I'm sorry I can't take away the pain you feel when you remember that time. I'm sorry I didn't know you before then so I could have been there for you," Quinn replied as she removed her hand from its place under her wife's shirt and laced their fingers together instead. Rachel glanced up at her, her face tear streaked, "You're here now, and that's all that matters." With those words Rachel leaned down and kissed her wife and Quinn cupped her jaw in the palm of her hand, showing her rather than telling Rachel how much she loved her. When they pulled apart brushed locks of brown hair away from her wife's face and tucked them behind her ear.

"What brought all this up?" she asked, knowing that most times out of ten Rachel's dreams, memories or anxiety attacks were brought on by an event or stress. The brunette sighed heavily as she placed her head back down on Quinn's shoulder. "Just, seeing Puck again. I don't know why it just it brought everything back. We talked a little about Peyton and so,e of the others. Pucks still serving so it just, I dunno, I guess I just miss it sometimes. Not the war part but, being with a group of people. It was the first time I felt like I belonged somewhere."

And that last statement was the key to Quinn's understanding after all these years. She knew all too well how lonely Rachel's childhood had been. Quinn understood that feeling to a certain extent due to the rejection she felt from her own family. But at least she'd had her grandmother for a time. Her wife had grown up with no one so she understood why the army appealed to Rachel so much back then and why it hurt so much having to say goodbye over and over again.

"You belong Rach. You belong right here," Quinn said tugging Rachel's hand up and resting it over her heart, "with me and Peyton. And Cassie and Holly they love you too, and by the end of this trip, you'll have your friends back and things will be even better than they were before, I promise you that." Quinn pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead, a silent declaration of her determination to provide them with a better life, no more hiding from the people who could be a big part of their lives.

"As long as I have you Peyton the rest doesn't matter," Rachel stated resolutely, but Quinn knew better, she knew they couldn't continue on with their lives the way they had been. And seeing Rachel interacting with her fellow glee clubbers, it just reinforced that belief that they needed to open up, just a little. She just needed to make sure that everyone could be trusted before she entrusted them with access to her families incredibly private and personal lives.

"You have us Rach, always," Quinn whispered as she gazed in to chocolate brown eyes and smiled. "C'mon," she said as she grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and laid it out over them, "let's get some shut eye and later we can cook dinner," Quinn said, knowing her wife slept better when she was there. Without a single ounce of reluctance, Rachel curled into Quinn and closed her eyes, hopeful for a more peaceful nap this time around. And Quinn, she sheathed her within the protective embrace of her arms in a bid to fight off any unwanted memories or dreams that tried to plague her.


End file.
